Alias
by Alcyone23
Summary: Things are changing for the Titans. Most of the criminals are still frozen. Jump City is finally peaceful. However, a woman has come from the future hunting an escaped murderer, the vigilante known as Robin.
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes:** This story has taken over my life since January of this year. And, learning the lesson from AB Type, I completed it before posting it, which means I'll be posting every week like clockwork. I have to say I am deliriously happy with this fic. I've been carrying the basic plot idea since I was sixteen and first picked up the comic _Kingdom Come_. Since then, it has changed a lot. You'll find some nods to the comic, but it's not necessary to have read it to enjoy this fic.

Thank you to my wonderful betas Coshie and Elihu who walked through this with me.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the Teen Titans. No money is being made off this work. The song lyrics found at the top of chapters 1-10 are from Muse, titled "Take a Bow".

* * *

**Alias**  
_Alcyone23_

* * *

_Maybe this world is another planet's hell._  
_ -Aldous Huxley_

-T-T-

Julian.

Tiny beads of blood seeped through the thin line on her upper arm.

Jonathan.

A twin line cut across the first.

Damien.

The single-edged razor carved a third line between the two before.

Dick.

Another line.

One more and she would have a scarlet star crowning her upper arm.

The question wasn't who would die next because of her.

The question was when.

-T-T-

A hand poised gracefully in the air just above the base's surface. The fine blonde hairs rose on end.

A shadow of a power not of this time still lingered. It was faint, but just perceptible.

Behind the base, a small dark stain remained. Blood. Someone hurt had fallen here. Moving forward, she found one of the cave's smaller tunnels blocked by a rock fall. Inspecting the cracks on the ceiling, she found none to follow the natural fault line. The collapse was manmade. Holding her hand above the rock, she sensed decaying organic matter within, too deep and too far to make digging it out feasible.

Robin had been here.

-T-T-

She had been genetically modified to fight. Increased speed, greater strength, inhuman endurance, a cool intelligence, an analytic mathematic mind.

It was too bad full immunity to radiation had been overlooked.

-T-T-

Phantasma surveyed the wreckage. Roughly, half of Gotham City was leveled; the other half was beyond repair.

Of the city's approximate twelve million inhabitants, eight million had been killed by the either the explosion or the nuclear fallout. The other four million had been exposed and would probably die within weeks or months. On a wall, Phantasma could see the shadows of some of the bomb's victims burned into it. A skirted silhouette held a young child in its arms; it had been caught in the movement of turning around, shielding the baby.

-T-T-

Kronos smiled at her. "Here," he whispered with difficulty. He closed her hand around a softly glowing hard object. "Mar'i—" His voice broke. A bubble of blood grew at the corner of his lips, burst.

His hazel eyes dulled.

-T-T-

_"The vigilante known as Robin has been classified as armed and dangerous. She is charged with the first-degree murder of Superboy and the deaths of eight million people in the Gotham City nuclear bombing. The public is warned to maintain distance and…"_

-T-T-

Robin checked the blow so close her hair ruffled slightly in the breeze.

"Why? Why kill?" he snarled.

"Because I couldn't save them," she whispered.

-T-T-

..._Alias_...

..._Remove the mask_...


	2. Chapter One

_Corrupt, you're corrupt_  
_Bring corruption to all that you touch_

* * *

Silence reigned over Jump City. Or, at least, as much silence as the city allowed. Laughter drifted in the cool evening air. Honks and revs flooded the streets. From several doors, a deafening bass pounded. The city wasn't silent at all, but there were key sounds missing. No sirens. No wails. No alarms. It was a silent, peaceful night in Jump City.

Robin propped a foot against the edge of Titan Tower's roof. A ghost of a smile flitted across his face. Three months since the defeat of the Brotherhood of Evil. Three months since that final battle. He could hardly believe he was home after traveling the globe for such a long time. He was even more disbelieving of the lack of crime. There was still common theft. They still brushed shoulders with the few other criminals left unfrozen. And, every once in a while, a new creature like the Thing appeared. But, all in all, nights had never been quieter.

His smile grew. They couldn't relax, not really. He and his team needed to be ready to face anything at any time. But it was nice to be able to take a breather and enjoy life as a teenaged superhero without the responsibility every once in a while.

The door behind him opened.

"Hey Star." He acknowledged the presence without turning around. The door clicked shut as she floated toward him. Her hand was warm as it settled on his arm.

"What are you thinking about?" Her other arm slid around his waist, hugging him lightly from behind. His hand clasped hers.

"Not much. The city's been quiet lately."

"Yes. Our success with the Brotherhood of Evil has had some glorious consequences. Most of the villains are still frozen. Our home is now much safer."

"Yeah." Robin smiled. Starfire rested her crimson head on his shoulder. He shifted slightly to accommodate her, his head on hers. His thumb rubbed slow circles on her hand. Before, he could only steal moments with Starfire, aware of when the alarm would blare. Now, things were different. Slower. Calmer. Quieter.

So, the sudden activation of his communicator caught him off-guard.

He flipped it open to reveal Raven's pale face. "What is it?" he asked.

Raven's eyes were wide. Shock? Fear? "You need to come down here. Now."

"What is it?" he repeated, already running for the door leading downstairs, one hand still holding Starfire's.

"You wouldn't believe me if I said," Raven finished cryptically and closed the line. By that time, Robin and Starfire were already in the elevator and had pushed the button leading to the Main Room. When the elevator _ding_ed open, they ran out, the doors of the Main Room sliding open as they approached. The other Titans were staring at a figure at the far end. Robin's jaw dropped open as Starfire gasped.

Terra smiled hesitantly at them, dressed again in her black shirt and brown shorts, her goggles adorning her head.

"Hi," she said. She smiled hesitantly, ducking her head. Her pose changed to mirror that of a small child, afraid of refusal. "Do you think I could, maybe, come back?"

-T-T-

Grey eyes surveyed the opening of the cave. Her steps made no noise on the dirt, her cape whispering behind her. One white-gloved hand rose, a soft light radiating around her palm and pushing the cobwebbed shadows away. She followed the tunnel as it wound its way further into the earth from which it had been born. Soon, she was able to discern something ahead.

It was a base, like ones on which statues were set. Two imprints still marred the rocky surface in the shape of boots. A plaque had been set against its side.

TERRA

A TEEN TITAN

A TRUE FRIEND

A hand poised gracefully on the air just above the base's surface. The fine blonde hairs rose on end.

A shadow of a power not of this time still lingered. It was faint, but just perceptible.

Behind the base, a small dark stain remained. Blood. Someone hurt had fallen here. Moving forward, she found one of the cave's smaller tunnels blocked by a rock fall. Inspecting the cracks on the ceiling, she found none to follow the natural fault line. The collapse was manmade. Holding her hand above the rock, she sensed decaying organic matter within, too deep and too far to make digging it out feasible.

Robin had been here. Along with a heavily wounded Batman. Batman hadn't survived and had been buried here. But there was only a presence of power near the base, not near the body. Why would Robin use that power on rock instead of saving Batman?

Unless, she looked back, there had been something on that base when Robin came through.

TERRA

A TEEN TITAN

A TRUE FRIEND

It seemed like her search continued with the Teen Titans. She shook her head slightly. Robin hiding behind Robin. Ironic.

-T-T-

A dark haired figure raised her head. The fine hairs on her arms and behind her neck stood on end.

An oddly familiar shadow of power lingered in the still air.

"Phantasma," she swore under her breath.

She'd come so far, so far away from them all. She'd left their time altogether! Why was Phantasma still on the hunt?

Her hand clenched shut over the jewel on her breast.

She had so little time left. She would have to watch and hope they never engaged. She wouldn't be able to resist Phantasma in her current state. And she certainly couldn't contact the Titans.

The girl punched a brick wall, her fist smashing through it. When she removed it, the skin was not broken. Her hand, however, burned. Even as she watched, the skin blistered.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair…

-T-T-

"H-how?" Beast Boy gasped. He _knew_ Terra was alive. He _knew_ that girl he'd met was Terra. But he had never imagined Terra—_his_ Terra—would return.

Terra's gaze dropped to the floor. "It was…slow," she said. "From the moment I met you—for the second time—I started having these horrible dreams. Usually five shadowy characters all screaming for me to save them. But I couldn't save them all at once. If I ran in one direction, four other screams grew louder. If I turned around, the one I'd been running to would start yelling again. I was so afraid. I didn't understand." Terra shook her head, her hair forming a curtain across her face. "I guess I didn't _want_ to. I didn't want to face…what I'd done." She whispered the last three words, her head bowing further. She nervously clasped and unclasped her hands. When she raised her head again, her eyes were unnaturally shiny. "I am so sorry," she whispered, voice breaking. "You can't imagine how much. If I could take it back, I would. A million times and more. I know you'll probably never trust me again and I don't blame you, but…I wanted a chance. This Tower is the closest thing to home I've got." She fell silent, her head dropping. A curtain of brilliant yellow hair hid her face again.

Beast Boy wanted nothing more than to hug her and tell her everything would be all right, that of course he trusted her, how couldn't he? But Starfire beat him to it.

"Oh, friend Terra!" The alien girl swooped down and hugged Terra to her fiercely, though not as hard as she was wont to in the past. She had finally recognized her superhuman strength.

The others looked on, unsurprised by Starfire's show of affection, but waiting for Robin's decision before doing so themselves. The boy in question was the next to step forward.

"Terra," he said seriously, placing one gloved hand on the blonde's shoulder, "as far as I'm concerned, you're a Titan and a member of the team. This _is_ your home."

The tears that had been threatening to spill over finally did. Terra threw her arms around the Titan leader, hugging him as fiercely as Starfire had her. Robin looked surprised, but finally relaxed, patting her back.

A sudden possessive anger seized Beast Boy as he saw her in his leader's arms.

The other Titans, however, took their leader's acceptance as their cue and approached, each hugging or patting her back and shoulder. Even Raven clasped Terra's hand warmly, smiling wordlessly. Beast Boy held back slightly. He wanted nothing more than to grab Terra and not let her go. Seeing her, surrounded by their friends, he still couldn't believe she was there. But then she turned to face him and she threw herself into his arms with more force than she had Robin. And she was warm in his hands and her hair felt like sunshine and her breath was hot as she whispered in his ear, "Thank you for not giving up on me, Beast Boy," and Beast Boy grabbed her tightly and nothing else mattered anymore.

-T-T-

"John, did you check the meat before you signed for it?" Rachel called into the kitchen.

"Double checked," he answered. Rachel dimly heard the large stoves flaring to life.

"Okay," she muttered to herself. "Meat, check. Vegetables, check. The new tablecloths came in this morning. Where are those? John, where are the new linen tablecloths?"

"Uh, Marie was ironing them. She should be in the back."

"Perfect. Has Nick come in yet?"

"Called and said he'd be a little late since he has to go to a Parent-Teacher Meeting. Steve, help me take these things to the fridge."

As Rachel heard John and Steve grunt their way to the fridge, the double doors at the end of the small restaurant opened, admitting Lee-Ann and Marie carrying a load of freshly ironed tablecloths.

"Let me help you with that." Rachel vacated her seat and walked toward the young women.

"We're fine," Lee-Ann smiled. "They don't weigh anything."

"'Well, let me help you set them, at least. Without Tara, you have more work."

"We're fine," said Marie, but she shifted and handed half of the pile she carried to Rachel.

"Oof," Rachel laughed. "You must be stronger than you look!"

Marie smiled shyly.

Rachel turned to her other helper and groaned. "Lee-Ann, you are too old to still be carrying that." Rachel frowned at the ratty green dog peeking from one of Lee-Ann's large pockets as if it had insulted her.

Lee-Ann clutched at her dog. "It was a present!" she defended it.

Rachel groaned. "Okay, but can you at least hide it? You've been a huge help starting the restaurant, but I have a feeling our customers might flee if they see that dirt-covered thing in their waitress' pocket."

Lee-Ann stuffed it out of sight.

Following the short argument, the three women quickly covered the tables and Rachel set a simple, but pretty vase crowned with white flowers on each. By then, the men had begun cooking and the rich aroma of food permeated the atmosphere. With a proud swish, Rachel slid the sign on the door to "Open".

"Ready for the customers?" Rachel grinned.

"Always," said Lee-Ann. She fished out a black hat, covering her hair. Marie drew out her order pad.

"The Titans have been excellent for business," Rachel chatted. "I don't know what they did, but there hasn't been a big bad guy around for a long time. People are coming out more. The city feels so safe now."

Marie glanced out the window. "Yeah," she said in her typical quiet manner. "It's only peaceful nights in Jump City now."

-T-T-

_Robin landed in the middle of Jump City. Or, at least, what she assumed to be the middle of Jump City. Corpses of buildings jutted raggedly out of the ground. Windows like eyes had been punched in; toothless smiles extended across their doorways. Snake-like cracks winded around the torn up sidewalks, ready to claim any who grew careless._

_Potholes the size of craters marred the streets. A fine sheet of dirt covered everything._

_She ran through the avenue, heading to the coast. Her uncle Victor had returned to Jump and had been working to restore it. She would find him and lead him to where she had left Tim and maybe he could save him. Surely, he could do something for Tim like he had for her. She would give Tim the Kronos Jewel and have it implanted into him if necessary._

_Titans Tower had not been immune to the destruction. Glass glinted insidiously. The once silver walls were dark. Robin grabbed her grappling hook and aimed it upwards. The sound of the wire was familiar as was the twang and catch as it found support. She tugged once on it reflexively before releasing the safety and allowing the tool to pull her up._

_She alighted silently. The once cheerful living room was covered with the same layer of grime. Her steps, careful as they were, raised little clouds of dust. The red couch was in pieces; the wide-screen monitor had a hole in its center, spider-thin cracks extending to the edges. Some of the lasers hung on by only a few wires; others had been blasted off entirely._

_The sliding doors at the end were closed, but a gap had been opened between them as if someone large and strong had struggled through._

_The signs of wreckage here were more obvious. Holes littered the walls; some opened to the outside, allowing rays of sunlight to pool on the stained floor._

_Wait. Stained? _

_Robin knelt. She touched one of the stains and held her fingers up to her eyes. A copper powder dyed her fingertips. It smelled of iron._

_She could feel a cotton-like ball forming in her throat. She tried to call out, but her voice was lost._

_All the doors were closed, all save the last one. Her old bedroom._

_Clutching her old, favorite stuffed animal, she saw her uncle Victor sitting against the wall. His usual blue lighting was gone. But she had seen him turn off before. He just needed to charge and he would be fine. Then, he could tell her what she had to do. He could save Tim._

_The sudden joy at seeing him intact seized her and made her run toward him, one hand landing on his shoulder to turn him toward her._

_For a few seconds, she did not understand. It didn't make sense. He was a beautiful dark color, not white. And his face was fuller. And he would always smile brightly at her, but she shouldn't be able to see all his teeth. And his human eye was a friendly brown, not a gaping hole…_

_Robin shrieked, stumbling backward. Grabbing her stomach, she vomited, painful dry heaves as she had eaten nothing in a day and a half. As she hit the wall in the unthinking struggle to get away, she caught sight of a strand of hair shining in the sunlight streaming through the broken wall._

_A long strand of hair so blonde it was almost white._


	3. Chapter Two

_Hold, you'll behold,_  
_And beholden for all that you've done._

* * *

In a matter of hours, Terra had settled in so perfectly that it was almost as if she had never left. Her room was intact, preserved in the hope that she would someday return. Her spare clothes still hung in the closet; her collection of different rocks still lined the dresser. One thing was new: a framed photograph featuring the six Titans hung on the wall. Terra smiled, running her finger across the glass.

It was next to that photograph that she decided to hang up a new one. She carefully removed it from her bag, unfolding it and laying it on the dresser. Concentrating, she reshaped the dirt she carried on her body into four needles, compacting them tightly so they would retain their shape. Holding the picture against the wall, she stabbed the dirt needles into each of the corners, embedding them tightly. She smiled, admiring her handiwork.

A photograph of the family who had adopted her when she still had no memory. Rachel and John hugging. Steve and Nick teasing her, Steve poking her arm and Nick tugging on her hair. She, laughing and playfully trying to defend herself. Lee-Ann laughing at the three of them.

Only Marie was missing from the photograph, having taken the picture.

Terra smiled wistfully. She wished she could have spent more time with them, but she desperately missed the Titans even when she had been buried.

Maybe she could convince her friends to go for good old hamburgers instead of pizza next time they went out to eat.

-T-T-

Cyborg still couldn't believe it. Terra alive and with them again. This had to be celebrated and there was no better way to celebrate than with a Titan Movie Night, Terra's choice.

"I am _not _choosing! Last time I picked, I had to deal with _your _groans all through the movie!" She mock-glared.

"Terra, you gotta admit, the last Y-Men movie was bad." Cyborg grinned.

"But I hadn't seen it before and I wanted to!"

Cyborg held up his hands in defeat. "All right, all right. I won't complain about your movie as long as it ain't a sequel. Deal?" Cyborg offered one silver hand.

"Deal." Terra shook it firmly, her face solemn except for the amused glint in her eyes.

"Okay y'all, this is how it is!" Cyborg called as the other Titans walked, ran, floated and flew in as per their preference. "To celebrate Terra's return, she gets to pick the movie, but no one is allowed to complain about the movie unless it's a sequel. And only_ I_ get to complain."

"What if I don't like it?" Beast Boy crossed his arms. Cyborg calmly slapped him upside the head, sending him reeling into the ground.

"_Ow_!" Beast Boy howled, clapping his hands to his head and glaring at Cyborg.

Terra selected the first _Carrier_ movie from the Titans' wide selection and Cyborg cheerfully started it. By the time he turned around, the other Titans had settled themselves around Terra. Beast Boy and Starfire sat at either side of her, chatting with her. Raven, next to Beast Boy, listened and interjected every now and then. Robin, on Starfire's other side, only listened, smiling and holding one of Starfire's hands. Terra looked beside herself by the attention; however, she did glance curiously at Robin and Starfire and their obvious closeness.

"Yep, these two finally got together." Cyborg grinned at Terra.

"It's about time," Terra teased. Starfire turned a becoming shade of pink and Robin raised an eyebrow, trying to hide a smile.

Cyborg boomed a laugh. "That's exactly what I said!"

Their conversation was interrupted by the movie's opening sequences.

Sometime later, Beast Boy exclaimed, "Dude, here comes the best part!"

"Will you be quiet?" Raven hissed. "You've mentioned _fourteen_ best parts in the past ten minutes!"

"They're good! …Oh, oh, here comes the _best_ part!"

Raven's eyes glowed white.

Static suddenly invaded the screen before it went blank. The lights flared on.

With the exception of a turtle Beast Boy hiding in his shell, the Titans turned to Raven.

"I didn't do that," she said.

"I did. And your security is severely lacking," a voice spoke from behind. As one, all the Titans turned around, sinking into defensive poses as they did.

A young woman, no older than twenty, stood calmly behind them. She wore tight white pants and a white tube top that bared her midriff. Above that, a white robe floated behind her like a cloud, clasped just above her shirt and revealing her shoulders. The robe's sleeves bunched at her wrists, pristine white gloves covering her hands. Her blonde hair was so pale it was almost white and her grey eyes so clear they were silvered.

"Who are you?" Robin barked. "What do you want?"

"My name is Phantasma," she said and her voice had an airy quality. "I am a member of the Justice League of the year 2039."

"A time traveler?" Robin raised an eyebrow, not relaxing his stance.

"Dude, my head already hurts," Beast Boy whined.

"Correct." She gave a single nod.

"Why are you here, then?" Raven asked, a soft black suffusing her palms.

"A convicted vigilante escaped to this time. I was able to trace the remains of the time-bending power used to a cave outside the city where I found a base with a plaque reading 'Terra, a Teen Titan, a True Friend.' That, along with other indications, led me to believe the Titans may know of something that can aid me in my search. It is imperative I take this criminal back with me; anything happens here and the future could be adversely affected."

"'Convicted?' What was his crime?" Robin frowned.

"Murder," Phantasma replied bluntly.

Starfire gasped.

"We haven't seen or heard of any murders." Robin shook his head. "But we will keep an eye out. What is his name?"

"Robin."

"What?" Robin started.

"That is her name. Robin. But she is capable of using many disguises so the name is worth nothing."

"_She_?" Robin attached himself to the surprising piece of information.

Phantasma smiled slightly. "Oh, yes. In my time, Robin is a woman."

"Is that your other indication? That she shares Robin's name?" Raven cocked her head.

"Partly. But the real reason why I thought she may have come here was because of the filial relation."

"Filial?" Raven repeated.

Phantasma's smile widened. "She is your Robin's and Starfire's daughter."

The Titans reeled in shock at the news.

"However," Phantasma continued, "I can see I was wrong. You appear to know nothing about her. I will continue my search and, if you learn of anything, please contact me. She is lethal, even when unarmed. Don't try to fight her yourselves as you will be severely injured." Before their eyes, Phantasma began to grow translucent.

"Wait!" Robin called. "Who did she kill?"

Phantasma continued fading as she spoke until only her voice remained. "The correct question is how many."

And she was gone and Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy and Terra were left staring at the pale and shocked Robin and Starfire.

-T-T-

_"Tell me a secret."_

_Wildfire cocked his head to the side, thinking. "I can't stand the smell of mustard."_

_Phantasma laughed. "Something serious! Something no one else knows."_

_"I want to restore my family's honor," he finally said._

_"Their honor?"_

_"That's more than one question. It's my turn now." He grinned._

_"Okay." Phantasma bit her lip to keep from smiling._

_"Hmm…have you ever needed to be carried out of a pub?"_

_Phantasma burst out laughing. "What kind of question is that?"_

_"It's a good one!" He chuckled, trying to defend his question._

_"I don't think so," she said. A teasing smile lit her face. "I could drink you under the table."_

_He snorted disbelievingly._

_"My turn," she continued. "Whom do you love?" She grinned, hoping for something to gossip or possibly blackmail him for._

_His answer sobered her quickly._

_"You."_

-T-T-

Sitting on the middle bar cleaving the letter 'A' on the sign announcing the edifice as belonging to Wayne Corporations, a girl overlooked the city.

She had run away from Jump City when she was eight years old, spent two years on the streets and been found by the man whose name upon which she now sat when she was ten. He had trained her, fed her, cared for her. In return, she became his most loyal follower, heeding his every command with little question.

That was probably why, despite his grandfather's love for her, he had distrusted her so.

She had been genetically modified to fight. Her mother had trouble conceiving so she turned to a friend to help her and her husband. He joined the ovum and sperm, shocked it to begin the cell division, kept it in a test tube until implantation. But before the cell could divide, he inserted a few extra genes, little beads on a string. Among them was the most important gene, one that coded for the protein absent before, the one that had caused her mother's body to reject her siblings. But there were a few others: increased speed, greater strength, inhuman endurance, a cool intelligence, an analytic mathematic mind.

It was too bad full immunity to radiation had been overlooked.

The daughter of Robin and Starfire brushed a strand of black hair away from her eyes. The other hand gently massaged her abdomen, working the kinks in the muscles. She sighed a heavy sigh, raising her eyes to the heavens—and let herself fall off the building.

-T-T-

Underneath the city, a dark figure slept. It was the build of a tall, strong man. Lying on the simple cot passing for a bed, it breathed evenly.

An elderly gentleman, dressed impeccably in a suit, approached quietly.

"Master Wilson," he said, "I bring news."

Almost as if waiting for those words, the sleeping figure woke, an eye concentrating on the man beside him.

"What is it, Wintergreen?" he said and his voice was soft, permeating and unforgettable.

"The girl Terra has, indeed, awoken. She has returned to the Titans."

"Terra…?" The man slowly sat up.

"They also had a visitor, sir. A woman claiming she comes from the future."

"Really?" An edge of interest crept into the cool voice.

"Shall I play the recording?" Wintergreen raised a finger over a silvered button.

Slade stood. "Yes."


	4. Chapter Three

_And spell, cast a spell_  
_Cast a spell on the country you run_

* * *

After Phantasma disappeared, a heavy silence settled over Titans' Tower.

Robin had locked himself in his room, barking orders that no one should disturb him. No one, not even Starfire, dared do so.

Starfire hadn't spoken since the astounding news. She was dumbfounded that any child of hers could ever resort to such violence.

The rest could only speak in hushed whispers about what they had heard.

"I think she's lying. How can any kid of Rob's and Star's turn into a murderer?" Cyborg asked of Raven, Beast Boy and Terra.

"It's unthinkable. But we don't know what the future holds. We don't know what could have happened," Raven answered.

"This is just bad," Beast Boy collapsed onto the sofa. "And just when we get Terra back too!"

Terra pulled her knees into her chest. "I'm just a load of bad luck, aren't I?"

Two surprised reactions denied her words immediately.

"No, you're not, Terra."

"Dude, it's so not your fault!"

"Perhaps the timing isn't coincidental," Raven said thoughtfully.

"What are you saying, Raven?" Beast Boy half-glared at her.

"Phantasma said she came here mostly because of the remnants of power in Terra's cave. As far as we know, Starfire and Robin don't have any ability manipulate time. Somehow, their daughter _does_. What if Terra regaining her memory so suddenly isn't just a coincidence? What if it's the manifestation of this other Robin's powers?"

They were quiet as they considered Raven's point.

"Friend Terra, do you know something?"

Terra, Beast Boy, Cyborg and Raven jumped at Starfire's small question. None had heard her come in.

Terra shook her head. "I don't."

"Well, maybe something in your past might be a clue. Tell us what happened since you awoke." Raven looked at the blonde girl.

Terra seemed anxious to be put on the spot, but complied. "I woke up in John and Rachel's restaurant. When I came to, only Marie, one of their waitresses, was there. Marie told me she had found me in a cave after Steve, Nick and Lee-Ann—the other workers at the restaurant—dared her to do so. She took me to John and Rachel and they took care of me. They put signs up and contacted the police, but there were no reports of anyone missing so I stayed with them."

"How come we never heard of this?" Cyborg frowned.

"You weren't here," Terra explained. "The Titans East were here and they didn't know me. Anyway, John and Rachel took me in until my memory returned. They didn't believe me when I said I was Terra until they saw me move earth. They left me on the shore and I floated the rest of the way here on a rock. That's it."

"That's too bad." Beast Boy shook his head. "Seems like we'd have better luck asking Mary."

"'Marie'," Terra corrected him.

Raven blinked. "That is actually intelligent. We could ask her if she saw anything in the cave when she found Terra."

"It is?" Beast Boy started. He puffed out his chest. "I mean, of course it is. It's a BB original idea."

"And the only one I've ever heard you say," Raven muttered. Beast Boy sputtered indignantly. Terra and Starfire giggled at the sight.

"I shall go tell Robin about our ideas," Starfire declared, floating away.

Terra sighed. It wasn't how she had planned, but at least she was going to see her new family again.

-T-T-

Phantasma observed the city. The contrast was stunning. Here was a city thriving with life. It was so different from the chaos after the Jump Battle. People lying on the floor as they had fallen. The gutters filling then overflowing with blood. Smoke and fire filling the sky until noon could be confused for midnight.

Ironically enough, it had been less terrifying than Gotham. At least screams and crashes had permeated Jump City. Gotham had been utterly silent.

She cupped her chin in her hand. Her time was slowly running out. She needed to find the girl and take the jewel or she would be too late for Superman, too late for her world…too late for herself.

_Wildfire_…

Phantasma had seen too many people die. She would be damned before she let that girl give birth to the monster that would destroy her world.

-T-T-

"Closing time." Rachel stretched. "Thank goodness."

A sudden shriek made her jump.

"Lee-Ann? You okay?" Rachel shoved open the door separating the kitchen from the diner and froze.

The five Teen Titans were in her restaurant, Terra at the their head.

"Hi, Rachel," said Terra. Lee-Ann was hugging her tightly. Lee-Ann's blue-green eyes shone.

"Oh, my." Rachel stepped back.

"Uh, right. Rachel, this is Robin—"

"Hello, ma'am."

"—Raven—"

"Hi."

"—Cyborg—"

"S'up?"

"—Starfire—"

"Greetings!"

"—and Beast Boy."

"Dude, this place is awesome! Is there a vegetarian menu?"

"Guys, this is Rachel."

"You're the Teen Titans." Rachel gasped. "Oh my. John? You need to come out here."

"What is it, honey?" John called from the kitchen.

"Now."

John came out, cleaning his hands. "Honey, what is—oh my god, you're the Teen Titans."

"And this is John," Terra introduced him, fighting off a laugh.

Robin strode forward. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir. We're very thankful to you both for caring after our teammate."

"It was the least we could do," Rachel said, fishing for an answer.

"You're the Teen Titans," John repeated.

"Yes, John," Terra answered, grinning. She quickly turned serious. "Is Marie here?"

Rachel subtly elbowed John. He blinked. "Yeah, she's in the storage room. Need me to get her?"

"Please," Terra replied.

"Okay," he said. As he walked away, the others could hear him mutter, "Those are the Teen Titans."

Rachel smiled at her guests. "I'm sorry, he's usually more verbose than that."

Robin smiled. "It's all right ma'am. We know that our presence is sometimes shocking."

While Robin spoke, Lee-Ann had stepped back from Terra and was observing the Titans. It was quiet for a short while before John returned, opening the door for a young girl.

Marie was tall, with a pale tan and wide brown eyes. She smiled shyly and Rachel saw her eyes lighten when she saw Terra.

"Guys, this is Marie," Terra said. "Marie, these are the Titans. They wanted to ask you some questions."

"In private," Robin interjected.

Rachel took it as their cue. "Marie, we'll be just outside. Come on, John, Lee-Ann." And Rachel almost hauled her still shocked husband out the door, Lee-Ann following after them still staring at the Titans.

When they were outside, John turned to Rachel with a silly grin. "Those are the Teen Titans."

-T-T-

"How can I help you?" Marie asked quietly. She was twisting her fingers together nervously. Two silver rings, one on each hand, caught the light briefly.

"We wanted to ask you some questions about the day you found Terra," Robin answered. "You can sit if you like."

"Thank you." Marie sank gratefully into a chair. She folded her hands delicately on her lap, but couldn't hide their faint trembling. Starfire wanted to hug her in comfort. "What did you want to know?"

"Just tell us everything you saw." Robin smiled kindly at her, trying to put her at ease.

Marie took in a breath. "There's really not much to tell. Steve, Nick—the other two workers here—Lee-Ann and me were bored so we went exploring. We found the cave and they dared me to go inside and I did. I found Tara—oh right, it's Terra now—lying on the ground. She didn't look hurt, but she wasn't regaining consciousness. Since I was far from the entrance, I picked her up as best I could and dragged her outside. Steve and Nick grabbed her and we came back here. Right when we were going to call for an ambulance, she woke up."

"Do you remember anything about the cave in particular, the area where you found her?" Robin prodded.

Marie shook her head. "It was very dark," she said apologetically. "I don't really remember details. I'm sorry."

"What about Terra herself? What position was she in when you found her?"

"She was just lying on the floor." Marie's gaze jumped from Titan to Titan. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, Marie, of course not." Robin masked his disappointment well. "Thank you."

They called John, Rachel and Lee-Ann back in and said their goodbyes. Starfire, in her typical manner, hugged them all farewell, her arms barely encircling the very plump Lee-Ann.

"Where to now?" Beast Boy asked.

"The cave." Robin didn't need to clarify which cave.

Starfire saw Terra blanch at the idea of returning. She slid a comforting arm around her friend's shoulders, hugging her briefly.

-T-T-

Slade's finger barely brushed the touchpad. Immediately, five different screens flashed on. Each one projected a different image of the city: Titans Tower, the entrance to the carnival, the prison, the port and a cave. He focused on the image of the cave, amplifying it. As he adjusted the contrast, six blurry figures graced the screen. Carefully sharpening the image, detailed images of six teenagers appeared.

"Terra _has_ returned." Slade leaned back in his chair, his fingertips touching.

"Is that a liability, sir?" Wintergreen poured a cup of steaming tea into a cup, handing it to his master.

"Not at all. In fact, it could prove quite beneficial for us."

"And the woman…?"

"I will use the Titans to find Robin's daughter. We'll keep her here in the holding cell." Slade opened a compartment on his utility belt and withdrew a smooth, black stone as long as his hand. "A half-human, half-alien hybrid with knowledge of future technology can prove a _very_ valuable asset."

-T-T-

Phantasma observed the Titans closely. She trusted they would find Robin soon. If she knew the girl, she would align herself closely to them for being her only family.

The net was set. All she needed was the hook to enter the fray.


	5. Chapter Four

_And risk, you will risk_  
_You will risk all the lives and their souls_

* * *

"Fan out," Robin barked. "See what you can find."

Splitting into pairs, the Titans began scouring the cavern for clues. Terra and Beast Boy approached the base and Terra kneeled beside it. Switching to a bloodhound, Beast Boy sniffed experimentally at it.

Cyborg flipped open a compartment in his arm, revealing a scanner. Raven's eyes narrowed slightly, extending her senses. Robin had his communicator in his hand, studying the floor and occasionally pausing to observe any odd sign. Starfire kept close to him, floating a few inches above the ground.

Terra breathed in deeply. She felt the tendrils of yellow power unwind from her body and seek the earth they came from. Immediately, her heartbeat steadied; her breathing evened. She felt strong. Immovable. Unbreakable. The earth was steady and unchanging. Familiar. It was something she knew. It was something she had been a part of for months.

And so, she knew the difference in the cave. The instability. The rifts.

When she opened her eyes, they glowed yellow.

"There is a cave-in," she said. The closed space carried her voice with ease. "Not natural. Doesn't follow the fault-line."

"Man-made?" Cyborg understood. "Where?"

Terra straightened and walked slowly toward the far wall. Some tendrils of yellow hair floated about her face. She laid her hands on the rock and pushed the yellow further and further underground. It was delicate, pain-staking work. The rock was so unstable the smallest shift could cause a larger cave-in, one that could bury them all. Finally, the yellow light wrapped around a cavity. She allowed the power to recede, drawing it back into herself.

"There is a small space about five miles down. Something's there, but I don't know what it is." While Terra spoke, Beast Boy sniffed the wall.

"Marie's scent leads here," he announced.

"She must have been disoriented," Starfire assumed.

"Can you get a lock on anything?" Robin turned to Cyborg.

Cyborg pressed a button on his arm. "It's organic matter," he said after a pause.

"Alive?" Robin asked, expecting a negation.

Raven opened her eyes. "There is nothing alive down there."

"Nah, man," Cyborg answered at the same time. "More like what's left of organic matter."

"Could that be our—my—the-the girl Phantasma seeks?" Starfire stumbled slightly.

"Could be," Robin answered darkly.

"You're not actually thinking of digging down there?" Cyborg's voice carried a disbelieving edge. "Man, that's just wrong. Whatever's down there's dead."

"All the more reason to bring it up," Robin answered. "Someone tried to hide it and hide it well. Which means it could be the answer we need."

"And if it's your daughter?" Raven asked delicately.

"I don't have any children," Robin snapped. He took a deep breath, nostrils flaring, before continuing. "Okay, this land is very unstable. Terra, do you think you can bring it up here?"

Terra nodded.

"Raven, help stabilize her."

Raven assented. She and Terra moved to stand before the wall.

"Think you can keep up?" Terra taunted, trying to ignore the reality of what she would be bringing to the surface.

"Can you?" Raven's eyes glowed a challenging white.

Terra focused, wrapping the yellow tendrils into an orb of earth surrounding the—Terra couldn't think of it as a body. It was too gruesome. She felt a deep black surround the bright yellow, steadying it. Terra breathed deeply and began shifting the earth around the orb. She allowed the sheets of rock to fall away and below her orb, pushing it upward. It was slow work. The amount of precision needed was mindboggling. Soon, Terra was sweating, her entire frame trembling from exertion. Not even Raven's help made it any easier.

"Easy." Terra dimly heard Robin say from behind. She swallowed a hysterical giggle. There was nothing easy about this. If she so much as misjudged by an inch the entire cave could come crashing down. She'd been buried in earth once and there was nothing easy about that either. How could she take this _easy_?

After an agonizingly long time, the orb settled behind the wall. Terra allowed her hands to fall to their sides. As the yellow coloring her eyes died, her feet gave way under her.

Cyborg, closest to her, caught her before she fell. Starfire helped an also weakened Raven.

"Are you okay?" Beast Boy abruptly shoved his green face into Terra's field of vision.

She chuckled. "Just tired."

Raven spoke to Robin. "It's right behind there. But you need to find some way to get it out yourselves. If you want Terra's or my help, you'll need to wait a while."

Robin nodded. "You did good. We can take it from here."

"We?" Cyborg raised an eyebrow. "I think you mean me."

Beast Boy helped Terra to her feet as Cyborg also stood, his left hand changing into a saw. He plunged it into the wall, cutting away a large circle. It collapsed at his feet.

The stench struck first.

Cyborg backed away immediately, clapping one metal hand over his face. Robin hid his nose in the crook of his elbow while Starfire stopped breathing altogether. Raven covered her nose with her cloak and Beast Boy turned a darker shade of green. Terra felt her stomach react; bile rose in her throat. Her eyes watered.

"Is it dead?" Beast Boy whispered between his fingers.

"For its sake, let's hope it is," Raven muttered.

A horrified curiosity seized Terra. Before she could stop herself, she peeked inside.

The skin was emaciated and withered into the bones. Pieces of grinning skull were visible beneath the rotting flesh. The last thing Terra saw before she passed out was a damaged black armor covering the rest of the body and, centered on the breastplate, the outline of a bat.

-T-T-

_"I don't think I'll ever get used to that." Nightstar shook her head. Kronos grinned at her. He had just flipped the omelet to the ground, but before it could hit the floor he'd frozen time, then reversed it. Nightstar had watched the eggs arc back to the frying pan._

_"Well, don't worry." He winked. "I'm planning on sticking around long enough so that you do."_

_"You liar," Nightstar snarled. She opened her eyes, the memory of that breakfast morning burning behind her eyelids. Just a memory now._

_She wouldn't get used to him manipulating time jut to irk her. She wouldn't see him practice changing elements. She wouldn't receive another breeze transformed into gold shaped like a blooming rose. She wouldn't see him laugh and smile and tease her. She wouldn't see him half-playfully, half-seriously challenge Damien for "yonder fair lady" and need her to intervene, as Damien was not one to go easy on anyone—especially when she was involved._

_Kronos smiled at her. "Here," he whispered with difficulty. He closed her hand around a softly glowing hard object. "Mar'i—" his voice broke. A bubble of blood grew at the corner of his lips, burst._

_His hazel eyes dulled._

_Nightstar uncurled her fingers. Nestled in her palm was his heavy necklace, an amber stone hanging from its end._

-T-T-

The girl called Robin sat on the park swings. Her toes dug into the sand, drawing thick, winding lines.

She closed her eyes briefly, feeling a bump to her side. Drawing comforting circles into her skin, she rested her head against the silver chain.

Phantasma was in Jump. She could feel the wretched parasite's presence in the air.

Robin's hand closed reflexively around the heavy stone on her chest. It radiated a soft warmth not unlike that of its former owner. Its familiarity distracted her momentarily from what she knew she would have to do.

Phantasma could not win. And she would not let her.

No matter what the cost.


	6. Chapter Five

_And beg, you will beg_  
_You will beg for the lives and their souls_

* * *

Phantasma slowly reformed her molecules. Solidifying inside the abandoned building serving as a temporary shelter, she studied her pale hands as they came into view.

She still remembered the day she learned she could become invisible. It had been a hot day, the kind of day you just wanted to spend indoors lying on the cooler floor. Instead, she had to help her family gather corn. She had been at the edge of the field, ignoring the tall stalks and playing with her puppy when the mushroom cloud appeared.

In her five-year old mind, she could only think that if she weren't visible it wouldn't catch her.

Could she have become invisible before or did the radiation catalyze the change? Phantasma sometimes believed the first; others, she favored the latter.

Nevertheless, when the wall hit, she felt her body disintegrate. But it didn't hurt. And after her fear calmed, the particles of her body reformed. She found herself visible and naked on a barren land. The corn was gone. Her dog was gone. Her family was gone.

She curled into herself and cried.

Superman found her.

Superman cared for her.

Superman taught her.

In return, she was his most loyal follower. She'd fallen in love with Superman, yes. Everyone did.

Phantasma corrected the thought.

Almost everyone.

-T-T-

Raven adjusted the monitors near Terra's bed. The earth-shifter was still unconscious; exhaustion and shock had taken their toll. Raven couldn't blame her; she had been close to passing out too.

Tucking her legs underneath her, Raven assumed a lotus position in midair.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

Peace, calm, tranquility.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

Peace, calm, tranquility.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos."

Peace, calm, a grinning skull.

Raven's eyes snapped open.

"Meditation can wait," Raven muttered to herself. A rustling startled her. Terra shifted on the bed, bleary blue eyes opening slowly.

"Raven?" She squinted.

"Lie still," Raven ordered. "Take it easy."

"What happened?"

"You fainted."

"Why—oh." Terra clutched at sheets. "Is it her?"

"No." Raven shook her head. "Robin and Cyborg haven't finished examining the body, but it isn't his daughter. He's male, mid-to-late twenties. That's all they've told us so far. No relation to our Robin and Star at all."

"Okay." Terra settled against the pillow.

Raven could almost discern a disappointed edge to her voice.

-T-T-

When Cyborg agreed to be a Titan, he assumed there would be battles, crazy villains and many close calls.

Forensic examination of a three-month rotting corpse never figured into his assumptions.

If he thought about his newest game—a zombie shooting gallery—he could almost pretend he wasn't really scraping skin off armor. He wasn't really performing tests to determine cause of death. He wasn't really touching a human corpse. He was just trying to find a cure for the virus that had turned 9.5% of the remaining ten percent of the world's population into zombies. He could almost believe it.

Almost.

Starkly opposite, Robin seemed to have no qualms. It was almost like he had taken it as a personal insult that his daughter was a murderer. He was attacking any lead with his one-track mind's ferocity.

If he didn't know better, Cyborg would have assumed Robin was hunting Slade again.

The final pieces of armor lifted off and Cyborg put them aside. Leaving Robin to the body, Cyborg focused on the metal. The suit was heavily banged up, but mostly intact. Its only symbol was that of a bat, stretching its wings. A shadow remained of where a utility belt should have been and the gauntlets were empty. Opening his scanners, Cyborg found numerous other secret compartments in the interior of the suit. All were empty. A beep caught his eye. The bat was made of denser material, but was hollow. The bat finally swung up after Cyborg found a tiny hook underneath the first curve of its right wing. Inside was a photograph. Carefully removing it, Cyborg stared at it. Quickly punching an order into his scanner, he aimed it at the body. His eyes went wide.

"Robin, get out!" he yelled.

"What?" Robin raised his head. "Hey!" Cyborg grabbed Robin roughly and tossed him out of the room, running after him. The metal door slid shut behind him and Cyborg quickly programmed a temporary lock.

"What is wrong with you?" Robin snapped. In answer, Cyborg showed him the photograph and his scanner.

The picture showed the barely visible figures of a man and a woman. On the back were their names written in a loopy, feminine hand.

_Mar'i, 16. Tim, 29._

_Central Park, Gotham City._

_2036._

A black mark covered most of the photograph and tarnished their features.

On Cyborg's scanner, two terms blinked red in warning: 4.635 Sv.

-T-T-

"Hmm."

Slade examined the area left behind by the Titans. They had made a hasty retreat, but had taken the body with them. Only the smell lingered.

But it wasn't just the smell upsetting his stomach. Slade calmly pressed a button on his wrist and a small screen brightened, reflecting a series of numbers.

He knew he had little time so he hurried. Just when he was about to turn and leave, something caught his eye.

A strand of short, black hair.

Slade pocketed it and abandoned the dangerously radioactive cave.

Using his preferred tunnel system, he returned home quickly. Wintergreen awaited him.

"Was your search fruitful, sir?"

"I'm about to find out." Slade entered his laboratory. Withdrawing the hair, he set it on the cleared white tabletop. Examining it carefully, he cut the root away and set it separately.

He still had a sample of Robin's DNA, taken when Robin was his apprentice. A simple DNA test would determine if the hair belonged to him…or his descendant.

-T-T-

Starfire felt dirty.

Because of her imperviousness to radiation, she'd been the one to redress the body. She'd been the one to set it inside a lead coffin reinforced with concrete. She'd been the one to transport it to a deep pit on the other side of the city, close to Terra's cave.

After fourteen showers, she still felt dirty.

However, she had to postpone any more baths for later. Robin had gathered the Titans to tell them officially, of what he and Cyborg had learned.

"…and he was the future Batman," Robin finished.

"A different one?" Raven asked.

"He's not the Batman who raised me," Robin clarified. "Just like my alias, Batman's also passed on to someone else."

"And he died of radiation poisoning?" Beast Boy blinked. "Dude, that sounds so…poisonous."

"Yes," Cyborg continued. "While Star buried the coffin, I checked out the cave. Same radiation is also present in the rock where the body was stored, but to a lesser degree."

"Which means the radiation was brought with them from the future," Raven concluded.

"There was nothing else found on the body except for a picture. This one." Robin held it up. It lay inside a glass case lined with a thin sheet of lead atoms. "It's damaged by radiation, a kind pointing to one massive source. The image is barely visible, but the figures are labeled on the back as Mar'i and Tim. It's dated 2036."

Terra started, but the others did not notice.

"Three years before they decided to vacation here," Raven said glibly.

"What could have created such a large surge in radiation?" Terra glanced from Robin to Cyborg.

Robin answered, "Phantasma said the girl she seeks killed many. That knowledge, tied with a radical upsurge in radiation, points to an explosion. A nuclear explosion. It explains a large amount of deaths, the presence of the radiation and the odd burns on the body."

"Robin is the sidekick of the Batman, correct?" Starfire asked shyly.

"Yes." Robin crossed his arms across his chest.

"So why would Robin hurt Batman if she is responsible for the explosion?"

None of the Titans spoke.

"I don't know, Star," Robin finally admitted. "I don't know anything anymore."

Beast Boy turned the picture over in his hands.

"Hey, Terra," he said, trying to break the gloomy mood, "maybe you should tell Marie to change her name to Mar'i. It sounds merry. Get it? Marie, Mar'i, Mary?"

The others stared at him.

"Oh, come on! It was funny! …Kinda." Beast Boy's eyes shifted nervously. "I'll just hide in my shell."

"Marie…" Robin took the photograph from Beast Boy, staring at the shadowy figures.

"You don't actually think Marie is Robin? The other Robin?" Terra stared at her leader.

"It fits. She found you. The other scent in the cave was hers. The names are similar."

"She can't even kill a cockroach!" Terra exclaimed. "I had to do it for her!"

"We're not going to arrest her," Robin answered. "We're just going to question. Titans, let's go."

Terra swallowed her anger and followed them. On the way there, she glared out the window not speaking a word. They pulled up in front of the restaurant quickly enough. Before they could even get out of the car, the restaurant door slammed open.

"Terra!" Rachel ran out of the restaurant. "Oh god, Terra, you must help us!"

"What happened?" Terra looked bewildered. Matching expressions appeared on the other Titans' faces.

"He took her. He took Lee-Ann."

"Who took Lee-Ann?" Terra shook Rachel briefly.

Rachel's eyes were wide. "Slade."


	7. Chapter Six

_Hate, feed the hate_  
_Feed the hate of the country you love_

* * *

Slade had gone in and taken Lee-Ann. He'd only paused long enough to tell the others that only Marie could follow, as she would draw the attention of the Titans. She'd taken John's car ten minutes before. Slade had left a message for them in code. Terra deciphered it quickly as he'd taught her the code when she was his apprentice.

_Well done, Titans. You found her; I'll capture her._

"How could he know our suspicion?" Cyborg fiddled with the T-Car's wheel.

"I don't know." Robin rounded the curve on his R-Cycle. "But the trap's set."

"Are you sure he's at the abandoned carnival?" Raven asked Terra.

"Yes. These letters are the same as the ones on the funhouse poster."

Robin and Cyborg revved their engines, thundering down the streets. Before they arrived, they could see the carnival lights illuminating the darkening night. None shone brighter than the Ferris wheel.

As they approached, the Titans could see three figures. Slade and Lee-Ann were at the top of the Ferris wheel, Lee-Ann caught between two poles that crept closer together as the wheel spun. Marie was climbing toward them with great difficulty. She swung a foot up to the bar she held. When she put weight upon it, it slipped. Her cry echoed in the empty grounds.

"_Please!_" She screamed desperately. The sounds of her sobs followed. "Please, I'm not the girl you're looking for I swear! I beg you; don't hurt her!"

"Hurry. The wheel doesn't wait for anyone."

"Marie!" Lee-Ann cried.

Beast Boy watched as Marie's fingers slipped. Immediately, he switched into a hawk and took to the air. Marie screamed as she fell, but just before she hit the floor, Beast Boy morphed into a pterodactyl and caught her. As he landed, changing back, Marie clung to him tightly, her tears landing hot on his neck and shoulder.

Terra ran to her. She laid her hand on Marie's shoulder. Marie immediately sought refuge against her friend.

"I told you so." Terra glared at Robin. "I told you. There's no way she's acting."

"Slade!" Robin yelled. "You were wrong. Now get Lee-Ann safely down and we won't hurt you."

A smile could be heard in Slade's voice. "You hurt me? I'd like to see you try."

"Help!" Lee-Ann shrieked.

"SLADE!" Terra screamed.

Slade faced her.

"Peek-a-boo!" A wave of earth rose and knocked him off the Wheel. A second block rose and slammed into him from underneath halfway. Then, she let him fall.

It took only two seconds for a shattered metal body and sparking wires to remain.

"I thought it was a decoy," she snarled.

Suddenly, the earth began trembling. The Wheel was swaying. Even as they watched, it began to collapse into itself.

"Lee-Ann!" Terra and Marie screamed.

Starfire shot into the falling wreckage while Raven's black lassos sought to keep as many pieces from falling as possible. As the dust cleared, Starfire appeared holding an unconscious, but apparently unhurt Lee-Ann. Her hat had fallen, revealing her short red hair. Raven ran a hand just over her body, scanning for any interior damage.

"I don't believe it."

"What is it?" shot Terra.

"Is she okay?" Marie's eyes were wide with fear.

Raven turned to Marie. "Did you know she's pregnant?"

"I suspected," a cool voice answered from behind them. Before they could react, Slade struck Starfire on the junction of her head to her neck. Starfire's eyes rolled into her head and, as she fell, he caught her, holding her to him.

"Let her go!" Robin reacted. Before he could jump Slade, a small red beam aimed to Starfire's temple.

"What do you want?" Robin bit out.

"Your daughter," he said as if it were the most obvious answer. "I suggest you wake up now, 'Lee-Ann'."

The Titans started.

"What are you talking about?" Terra snapped, still hugging Marie to her.

Slade ignored her. "Lee-Ann, don't try me." He cocked the gun—and shot Robin.

With a cry, Robin fell, clapping a hand to his side. He'd been shot with a bullet, but it had felt more like a laser burning him through. He collapsed next to Lee-Ann's unconscious body and as he raised his gaze, he saw something he didn't expect.

Lee-Ann opened her eyes.

Starfire collapsed on the floor as Slade reeled back, his mask cracked. A kick knocked him to the floor. Slade grunted.

Robin could only gape. Lee-Ann, a heavyset girl, had reacted so fast he hadn't been able to monitor her movement. Unbelievable to him, she was faster than he was.

"You won't be my next mark." Lee-Ann interrupted his thoughts, addressing Slade. Her voice had changed, no longer so high-pitched. "But you will not threaten me and mine."

Something flashed in her hand.

"Lee-Ann!" Marie cried. "Don't Lee-Ann!"

Lee-Ann turned to look at Marie, her blue-green eyes examining her. The light in her hand faded. Moving too fast for the Titans to follow, her other hand tossed three small orbs at the floor. They exploded, releasing a thick gray smoke. All quickly sought to cover their mouths, overcome with coughs. By the time Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy and Terra had shaken off their stupor and run after her, she was gone. They returned, shaking their heads.

While Raven knelt by Robin's side to try to close his wound, Robin turned to Marie. "Marie, we'll take you back to the restaurant. You can tell them the truth."

"They know," Marie interrupted. Robin raised an eyebrow. "I can remember now. It's like a veil lifted. She did something to us. Made us believe we'd known her for a long time. But I remember now. She said she was sorry, but we were the only ones she trusted."

"You need to show them you're okay, anyway." He fished some smelling salts out of his belt and handed them to Raven who waved them under Starfire's nose. She groaned awake.

Marie watched their interaction. "Robin? I know what she did was wrong, but I think she's really hurt and really afraid. I don't think she knows how to behave any other way. Tell her I don't blame her. And, please, don't hurt her. Don't worry about me. I can drive back."

Robin did not answer as Marie slowly walked away.

"Cute. She still tries to protect your daughter." Slade struggled to his feet.

"Titans!" Robin yelled, pushing a still dizzy Starfire behind him. He flinched as the movement irritated his wound. The others sank into defensive stances.

"Wait." Slade held up both hands in a sign of peace. "I believe I have some information that may interest you."

"Why should we trust you?" Robin snarled.

"Why should you trust Phantasma?" Slade responded.

A pause greeted his words. The other Titans watched for their leader's reaction.

"How do you know about her?" Robin finally spat.

"Phantasma approached me, shortly after she contacted you. I recorded our encounter." Slade pressed a button on his inner wrist. A slightly blurry three-dimensional image appeared over his wrist. Phantasma and Slade.

_"Good evening," she said politely to the seated figure._

_"You say you have information." Only the white eye could be glimpsed, the rest of his body enshrouded in shadows._

_"I am called Phantasma," she said. "I am part of the Justice League."_

_"Liar," Slade responded. "I know of every Justice League member and you are not one of them."_

_She smiled without showing her teeth. "You did not let me finish. I belong to the Justice League of the year 2039."_

_"A time traveler, I see." Slade straightened. "And why should you come thirty years into the past?"_

_"Because I hunt a woman, a vigilante, who escaped into this time. She is responsible for the destruction of the future Gotham City and the deaths of eight million people."_

_"And you believed that, due to my criminal connections, I would know where she is?"_

_"No," Phantasma replied. "Rather, that you would help me find her."_

_Slade chuckled. "And why would I do something like that?" _

_"Because she is the daughter of the Robin you know."_

_Slade's head snapped to attention. "Robin's daughter…?"_

_"Yes. I take it I now have your interest?" Phantasma asked innocently. _

_Slade remained silent._

_"I'll take that as a yes." She smiled sweetly. "She uses several names: Nightstar, Batgirl, Starfire, Robin. She is nineteen years old. She has black hair, tanned skin and no distinguishing marks except for her eyes. The right eye is green; the left eye is blue, but the blue covers the entire surface, not just the cornea. She is a master at disguises, but—" _

_"Her eyes give her away?" Slade cocked his head to the side. _

_"Due to her mother's nature, she has great difficulty masking the left eye." Phantasma nodded. "Her weapons of choice are specially designed whips composed of interlocking metal rings. She can extend or contract them as need be and she can also lock them into rigid position, forming them into bo-staffs."_

_"Meaning she excels at both long and short-range combat."_

_Phantasma narrowed her eyes slightly at his intuition. "Correct. She prefers close-range, however. She knows the position of all known pressure points on the human body and I've seen her disable assailants like the Green Lantern with a mere poke."_

_"What of her mother's powers?" Slade moved slightly forward. "Did she inherit anything from her apart from the eyes?"_

_"Only her mother's strength. She is unable to use starbolts or fly. This stone, however, should keep that strength in check." Phantasma levitated a black rock towards the man. It dropped softly into his lap. "It's a rare form of obsidian, obtained only from one of Vega's satellites: it drains her sun-channeling ability."_

_"Hmm." Slade observed the unremarkable black stone._

_"Last of all, she is pregnant and that might be what makes her most dangerous."_

_"She'll lash out at anyone who tries to harm her cub?" Slade sounded amused by the idea._

_"The baby has a separate storage of sunlight and, unlike his mother, can use it well. The stone weakens her, but the child can raise a barrier on her very skin."_

_"Almost impenetrable, I presume?"_

_"A hydrogen bomb exploded against her face. The force knocked her back, but she was completely untouched. In her current state, anything aimed at her would be futile."_

_"Interesting." Slade rested his chin on his fist._

_"You will, of course, be rewarded for your aid," Phantasma continued. "Two million now with ten million later if you capture her. Do we have a deal?"_

_"…Yes."_

-T-T-

"Hello, Titans." Phantasma sat on the red couch, holding the photograph in her small hands. All started.

"It's rude to come into someone's house uninvited." Raven crossed her arms across her chest.

"I'm sorry, but as you weren't here, I decided to let myself in." There was no apologetic tone in her voice. "Where did you find this?"

"Inside a corpse's suit." Robin stood before her, leaning slightly on Starfire. "You know whose body that was."

Phantasma assented. "Yes, I do. He was Batman."

"Was he the man in that picture?"

"Yes. He was Robin before the original Batman died. The mantle passed to him and Robin's to Mar'i."

"And you couldn't tell us her name before?" There was a hard edge to Robin's voice, as if he was trying not to express just how furious he was.

"Forgive me for not telling you everything. But my mission demands a certain amount of secrecy. And speaking of secrecy, where were you?"

"Burying the body," said Robin.

"It takes all of you and so long to bury a body?" Phantasma arched an eyebrow.

"It does when the body presents dangerous levels of radiation," answered Cyborg. "I had to build a special coffin to keep the radiation from infecting everything around it."

"And speaking of radiation," Raven continued, "can you tell us why the body was radioactive? Or is that a secret that cannot be divulged?"

Phantasma glanced out the tall windows. She sighed. "I'm not supposed to reveal this; I'm not supposed to do anything that can alter the future. But I can see you won't help me otherwise.

"There is a war in my future. It started when a new class of meta-humans appeared. They called themselves superheroes, but they were nothing more than vigilantes. They killed the villains. The first one to be killed was none other than the Joker.

"He was in Metropolis, had entered the Daily Planet, killed ninety-four people. On the steps of the court, in full view of everyone, Magog, one of these rogue vigilantes went up to him and shot him through the chest. During his trial, he was acquitted. The public embraced these new 'superheroes' and the old ones were shoved aside. Finally, Superman could not bear it any longer. He reformed the Justice League and recruited new heroes—myself among them—to combat these new so-called heroes. But some stood in his way. Batman and his family. They formed their own group and attacked the Justice League. They did not want things to change. They had seized full control over Gotham City and its outlying counties and did not want to lose that. But the Justice League began overpowering them so they resorted to murder.

"Batman never committed a murder himself. But his sidekicks did so in his name. Batwoman took down Wonder Woman with her. Robin, the boy Robin, left the Green Lantern to his death. Batgirl, your daughter, shot Superman's son with a kryptonite bullet at point-blank. In fact, she even abandoned _you_." Phantasma glanced at Robin, her face pitying.

"The public noticed that they were no longer superheroes and so your daughter planned a nuclear explosion against Gotham that would be prevented at the last moment, to vindicate themselves. The bomb would have a crystal lining of Krypton origin so they could blame Superman and the Justice League. But the plan failed. The bomb was not one, as she had believed. It was designed to unleash eight smaller, but more compact bombs, expanding the explosion ratio and causing a fallout storm the likes of which had never been seen. She was unable to stop all of them. Eight million dead immediately. The rest of Gotham exposed.

"She has a crystal with her, stolen from a superhero, which has a time and space-bending power. She used it to travel here with Batman. But he, obviously, did not survive. This crystal, known as the Kronos Jewel, is incredibly dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands. Imagine the chaos that would result from the use of a power that can alter the very fabric of reality. It is imperative that the crystal be reclaimed.

"My mission is this: track her, remove the Kronos Jewel from her possession and take her back to face charges. She will undergo a formal court proceeding, charged with first-degree murder and crimes against humanity. She faces a death sentence.

"I don't like having to do this," she said to the Titans' horrified faces. "I don't enjoy knowing that she will die the moment we return to the future. But it's what I must do. Law must be maintained; justice must prevail. Criminals must be stopped. You understand that, don't you?"


	8. Chapter Seven

_Pay, you must pay_  
_You must pay for your crimes against the earth_

* * *

"Mar'i?"

"I'm here. Not that I could be anywhere else." Mar'i turned her head to the side. She glared at the far wall. Terra touched her shoulder.

"Mar'i?" Terra shook her lightly.

"I'm fine." Mar'i answered before Terra could voice her question. Terra shook her head. Instead of growing more open, she kept closing herself away. She no longer answered Terra's questions. Her comments were always biting and snide. Terra shook her head, closing her eyes.

_A groan broke the silence._

_"I'm guessing you hurt. Unsurprising, really. You were basically buried in earth."_

_Blue eyes snapped open._

_A girl with very short black hair and strange eyes observed her quietly, head cocked delicately to the side._

_"Who-who are you? Where am I?" As she struggled to understand her position, she stumbled onto an even greater uncertainty. "Who am I?"_

_The girl frowned at her. "Do you remember anything? Anything at all?"_

_"No." She shook her head. It was difficult to focus. Her head was pounding._

_The girl sighed. "Your name is Tara."_

_"Tara?"_

_The girl smiled. "Yes. My name is M—Lian. My name is Lian."_

_"Lee-Ann?" She mispronounced._

_Lee-Ann smiled. "Yes. Lee-Ann. Where does it hurt?"_

_"Everywhere," Tara rasped._

_Lee-Ann pressed an area on the side of Tara's chest, another on her neck. Like magic, Tara felt the pain ease. "Go to sleep, Tara. I'll take care of you."_

_Tara closed her eyes._

Terra opened hers. "Could you tell me something?"

Mar'i inclined her head to show she was listening.

"Back then, why did you save me? Why didn't you save Tim?"

"Are you trying to ask what makes you so important that I would return you to life, but not my brother?" Mar'i responded acerbically. Terra flinched. "Nothing. Nothing is the answer. If there had been a choice between you and Tim…well, there would have never been a choice. I would have healed Tim and left you buried where you should be. But the Jewel wouldn't heed my order." Mar'i's hand spasmed shut, clutching the jewel embedded in her chest. "It brought you back and let Tim die. Truth is, I can't control it. It just constantly keeps me alive, but does nothing for those around me. If I could I would rip it from my chest." The lines of her hand stood out violently. "But my baby even keeps me from hurting myself."

Mar'i raised a hollow gaze to Terra. "You don't know what I would give to be someone normal, forget everything and be buried in earth. If I had a choice, I would never have awoken you." Mar'i turned to face the wall, effectively signaling the conversation as over.

"The Titans. We have your back, Mar'i."

"So you can stab it easier?"

Terra struggled to find the right thing to say. "I'm going to take care of you this time, you know. No matter what it takes."

Mar'i laughed aloud, but the sound was not amused. Terra realized she had given the wrong answer to a question Mar'i had not voiced. When she gained control over her hysterics, Mar'i looked at Terra over her shoulder.

"No, you won't," Mar'i replied flatly. "No, you won't."

-T-T-

Robin stared at the photograph on the ceiling. It was a perfect copy of the irradiated picture, fixed as well as Cyborg was capable.

The two outlines were much clearer now. The girl's long hair had been pulled into a ponytail. He aimed an ice cream cone to her face. Both were laughing.

But they remained only outlines. Mere shadows as if the bomb had also burned them away, leaving only their silhouette as a sign they had once existed.

Mar'i and Tim.

Robin didn't know of any Tim during his past in Gotham. If the numbers were right, Tim would be eleven now…

Tim and Mar'i.

He recognized Mar'i's name. Change the 'i' for a 'y' and it was his mother's name made to sound Tamaranian.

Mar'i and Tim.

Three weeks had passed with no sign. Even Terra no longer referred to her as Lee-Ann. In fact, she no longer spoke of the girl at all. Terra was quieter. She had taken to spending time at the mouth of the cave or so said Beast Boy when he followed. She would sit there and stare inside. The others could only assume she was still dealing with her newfound freedom…and if it was so much better than being entombed in earth.

Tim…

…and Mar'i.

And Robin knew where Mar'i was.

-T-T-

_"Run, Mar'i!"_

_"But, Dad…" Mar'i hesitated._

_"That is an order!" he yelled._

_"Come on, Mar'i." Lian grabbed her hand. Mar'i let the scarlet robed archer pull her away. Lian shot a grappling arrow towards the opening on the roof. The head sank through the metal just next to it._

_"Grab on, hurry!" Lian urged her. Mar'i grasped it tightly, Lian holding on tightly too. "Okay, ready—"_

_A sudden yell startled them both. Lian's eyes widened as she saw her father collapse. Red Arrow struggled to stand, not noticing the electro-magnetic pulse Coldcast had released._

_"Dad!" she screamed, running toward the red-haired archer._

_"Lian! No!" Mar'i tried to run after her, but stumbled on the chains around her ankles. The heavy yellow prisoner clothes did nothing to help; instead, they slowed her reflexes. She fell hard, barely managing to brace herself. Even as she struggled to stand, Lian reached her father. She drew a second arrow and aimed._

_The EMP hit. Lian's red hood fell away, her titian hair blowing around her face for the briefest moment. Her bow snapped, but the arrow shot true, ensnaring Coldcast in an energy-absorbing net. _

_And Mar'i could only scream and scream and scream as Lian sank to the floor, her green eyes still open and reflecting nothing at all._

-T-T-

Parking the R-cycle a short stretch away, Robin walked until he stood equidistant from the cave and Tim's tomb. Drawing out his communicator, he switched to the computer and scanned the ground. As he'd suspected it was hollow.

Drawing out an exploding bird-a-rang, he stabbed it into the earth and ran a short distance away. The localized explosion caused a small collapse and revealed the tunnel. Without thinking twice, he jumped in.

Removing a flashlight from his utility belt, he followed the tunnel. The walls were smooth, the roof steady. Terra seemed to have gained more control from her earth-bound coma than she ever could have in practice. He turned off the flashlight when he caught a small sign of light at the end. Slowing his pace, he crept alongside the wall, making as little noise as possible.

The room was lined with special bulbs that ran on a given supply of ions, releasing a blue-white light. A simple bed rested against the far end. Non-perishable food lined the opposite wall. A makeshift earthen door barred the way to what Robin could only assume was a bathroom.

He noticed, one second too late, that the room was empty. He felt two fingers poke into his back and he collapsed, no longer able to control his body.

"When I heard the explosion, I knew you weren't Terra." Mar'i pushed his body over with her foot, nudging his face toward her.

Mar'i's black hair looked as if she had hacked away at it herself. It had been cut too short to look pretty and some areas were slightly longer than others were. She had a very pale tan, almost sickly. Her eyes, one blue and one green, were too wide on her too slender face. She was thin, her skin drawing into her bones. Robin would have no difficulty encircling her too-delicate looking wrists. Strange bruises lined her arms and neck. Her stomach was a hideous protuberance; it looked as if it was sucking her dry.

Robin had never thought of a fetus as a parasite until that moment. It looked like it was killing her.

"What did you do to me?" Robin found he could speak, but trying to move anything underneath his neck proved futile.

"Pressure point," she answered simply. "Don't worry, daddy, I won't kill you. I'm not suicidal yet. After my baby is born, though, all bets are off."

"The baby will be the death of you?" Robin scoffed.

"In a literal sense." Mar'i frowned slightly as she struggled to sit beside him. She rubbed gentle circles into her stomach. "Terra says I'm only being pessimistic. But she doesn't know the truth. I _know_ I won't survive my baby's birth." She chuckled. "I survived a nuclear explosion, a five-inch metal tube thrown through my chest and a stab by Wonder Woman's sword, but I won't live through birth."

Mar'i raised her head. "Someone else is coming. Not a Titan." Her hand brushed over his back, squeezing certain points. Robin found he could move again. "You'll need to help me as I doubt you want him to get me anymore than I do."

"Tell me this first…"

Robin shoved her roughly, her back striking the wall. Mar'i's gaze was calm as Robin checked the blow so close her short hair ruffled slightly in the breeze.

"Why? Why kill?" he snarled.

"Because I couldn't save them," she whispered.

"What the hell kind of answer is that?"

Mar'i looked away, as if she was remembering something. "Sometimes you have to bloody your hands to save others from doing the same."

Before he could question her further, Slade was upon them.

-T-T-

A buzzing underneath her ear woke Terra.

Her communicator emitted short, red lights. When she flipped it open, where one of the Titans' faces should have been only a red spot glowed.

Mar'i.

As Terra ran out of her room, she paused momentarily at each of the other Titans' bedrooms. All were occupied except Robin's.

"Damn," she whispered under her breath. She ran out of the Tower doors and jumped on the levitating rock waiting for her.

-T-T-

The sounds of a scuffle reached Slade's ears. When he reached the end of the tunnel, Robin lay on the floor without moving.

"You shouldn't be so hasty," Slade chastised. "If you were to accidentally kill him?"

"I'm no fool," Mar'i replied. "And my form is too perfect to allow such a mistake."

"Yes, I know." Slade smiled slightly behind his mask. "I think you know what happens now, don't you?"

"You try to attack me and it seems like you have the upper hand, but you are still defeated?"

"No." Slade calmly opened his hand.

Mar'i stepped back immediately, drawing in a painful gasp. A blue aura glowed around her, which the stone began to draw away. The blue funneled into an accretion disk on the stone itself before being swallowed by a tiny black dot in its center.

Slade could almost laugh at the irony. A black hole swallowed the light of _Star_fire's daughter. It was almost too much.

Mar'i sank to the floor, moaning. Slade waited for the moment when the blue disappeared completely to capture her. He stepped over Robin's inert form.

Robin suddenly turned, aiming a kick at the arm holding the stone. It sailed in an arc behind Slade, shattering on the floor. A second kick knocked him back. Before Robin could land a third blow, Slade punched him where he had shot him before. Robin fell roughly.

"Slade!" Mar'i yelled. He turned his head and Mar'i was pulling down the neckline of her shirt. "Do not. Touch. My. Father."

A blue beam shot from the center of her chest, impaling him immediately. This wasn't like Starfire's starbolts where it was concentrated light. This felt more like liquid light, liquid blue flame, hot and metallic. He landed several feet away, sitting dizzily.

He heard a throat clear behind him.

Terra's entire frame glowed yellow. "I'm not going to be the one buried in earth this time."

Slade could only glare viciously at her as the earth underneath him opened and swallowed him whole.

Satisfied that Slade could not escape, Terra ran forward. Mar'i kneeled on all fours, breathing heavily. Ignoring her leader, Terra ran to her side.

"Mar'i. Come on, Mar'i. Talk to me. Are you okay?"

Mar'i raised her head. "I'm dying," she said and Robin and Terra were terrified to see the blood streaming from her eyes, her nose, her mouth and her ears.

-T-T-

The Titans were grouped around the hospital bed. An unconscious Mar'i was handcuffed to the bed. Her visible bruises had grown larger and when Raven removed her shirt to dress her in clean pajamas, she found a string of bruises like an onyx necklace lining her spinal cord.

When Cyborg tried to set an IV in her arm, a glowing red shield immediately melted the tip.

"The baby," Starfire realized. "That is a shield of sunlight."

"Well, how am I supposed to medicate her if the baby keeps putting up a shield?" Cyborg complained to no one in particular.

"What's this?" Raven pointed to her chest.

A strange jewel was embedded through her breastbone. It was circular with a warm amber glow. Lining it were a series of orifices, which Cyborg recognized upon closer inspection.

"Catheters," he concluded. "This is where the IV's going then."

"Could that be the crystal Phantasma mentioned?" Starfire motioned the amber jewel.

"Probably." Robin massaged his temples.

"Why is she sick?" Terra's blue eyes were wide.

"I'll go run some tests now and I'll also do the paternity tests. Rob, Star, I'm going to need some of your blood too."

That was two hours before. Now, they waited for Cyborg to return, Mar'i to wake up and Slade to try to escape.

Terra had brought him with them and redesigned one of the storage rooms into a prison. Cyborg had quickly repositioned some of the lasers. Slade was imprisoned inside the Tower, but all of the Titans waited for the moment when he would try to escape. Terra, especially, sought any excuse to send him to kingdom come.

The doors of the Med Lab slid open admitting a solemn Cyborg.

"What's wrong with her?" Beast Boy asked. Terra stroked Mar'i's hand.

"First off, she's your kid." Cyborg handed Robin a paper. "I ran it twice. Same result."

Robin's face was utterly expressionless.

"There's actually bad news," Cyborg admitted hesitantly. "She has cancer."

There was a heavy pause.

"So she needs chemo?" Terra blinked. "We're Titans. I bet they'd give her the chemo at no cost, right?"

"No, Terra." Cyborg shook his head. He spoke to her gently. "She's terminal."

"Terminal?" Starfire mouthed the strange word.

Cyborg sighed. "She has leukemia. It's basically overrun her body. She's showing 42% blasts in her bloodstream. How she's alive right now, I don't know. This girl has been running on will alone because her body should have given out months ago."

"And the baby?" Terra whispered.

"If she survives long enough to go into labor, the birth will kill her." Cyborg sat with difficulty, dropping his head into his silver palms. "She'll start bleeding…and she won't stop."

-T-T-

Robin and Starfire took Mar'i's first guard. Cyborg and Raven watched over Slade. Robin specifically told Beast Boy to ensure Terra stayed away from the Med Lab and he could only imagine that the shape-shifter's hands, including the extra ones he could grow, would be full.

"It is difficult to believe, is it not?" Starfire said so softly, Robin almost thought he dreamed it.

"What?"

"So many things. That we have a daughter. That she is pregnant with our grandchild. That she is a killer. That she is dying. Do you…not like her?" Starfire kept her gaze focused on the floor, holding her elbow.

"How can I like her, Star? She's a criminal."

"And our daughter. Do you think it was our fault? That we made her th-this way?"

"I don't know, Star. But I can't imagine how any kid of yours could ever do anything wrong."

"That explains it, then. My mother's absence made me amoral."

Starfire and Robin started.

Mar'i's face aimed at the window. The moonlight streaming through illuminated her oddly colored eyes. She slowly turned to Starfire.

"You died," she said. "June 21, 2017. Your sister struck a bargain with the Psions. They would get me to experiment upon provided they distracted the Titans long enough for her to defeat you. Blackfire never meant to give me to the Psions. I saw them and I ran. John and Rachel and Marie tried to help me. They bought me enough time to activate my distress signal. You came and you told me to stay hidden, but I was so afraid and I just wanted to be with you. I ran into view. Blackfire shot at me and you dove into the way. Dead immediately. Unfortunately for Blackfire, one of the Psions saw and they took her for breaking the bargain. Took me as well.

"My eyes weren't always like this, you know. I used to have mama's eyes. It's just the visible mark of the experiments. They injected me with blue starlight…and my cells began to break down almost immediately. It was a slow process, though: slow enough that the cancer went unnoticed until I was fourteen. By then, it was too late. I had no siblings to have a transplant. My father's blood wouldn't work because my Tamaranian half immediately rejected human-only blood. The drugs only worked for a year. Grandfather then placed me on a palliative treatment. The new drugs took care of the pain so well it was almost like I didn't have cancer. The exhaustion could be handled; we were all exhausted. And I could still fight; I could still be Batgirl and, later, Robin. That was enough for me."

"It was enough to help you kill?" Robin snapped.

Mar'i observed him quietly. "Phantasma told you about Superboy."

"And Gotham." Robin could barely control his fury.

"Did she tell you Superboy killed my son's father? Did she tell you he partially blinded me just before I fired? I don't deny I killed Superboy. But I didn't aim to do so.

"As for Gotham, did she tell you the bomb used had a crystal lining enabling it to break apart into numerous smaller, but just as dangerous bombs? The crystal was of Kryptonian origin, only malleable to Superman. It was fired from the Watchtower, an area controlled by Superman's Justice League. Just before, certain key prisoners were released close to Gotham from the Gulag, the metahuman prison for all superheroes that did not join the Justice League. And only Batman and I remained to subdue the prisoners before they reached Gotham and stop a bomb that splintered into a dozen when we struck it still in the upper atmosphere." Mar'i's voice was toneless. "He and I were responsible for Gotham and we failed. Eight million people died because of our mistakes. He died in payment. I will too. We as good as killed them. But we never fired that bomb. We never instigated the war. We never believed ourselves to be gods."

-T-T-

With Beast Boy keeping her far from Mar'i, Terra opted to visit Slade. She figured Raven and Cyborg could use the extra company.

"How come you're not with Mar'i?" Cyborg asked Terra when he saw her come down the stairs.

"Robin's orders." Terra rolled her eyes. "And I've got a German shepherd keeping me far from her. How are things here?"

"Eh, nothing interesting." Cyborg's disinterested tone couldn't mask entirely the hardness of the lines of his body or his careful attention over the dark figure inside.

Slade glanced at the ceiling. "Nothing interesting _here_, of course," he concurred.

"What do you mean, 'here'?" Raven raised an eyebrow.

"I only hope you're better fighters than before."

"Who's the one trapped?" Cyborg taunted.

"I _wanted_ to be brought here," Slade admitted, "because this way I am close to the fight."

"_What_ fight?" Raven snapped, irritable.

"This one," Slade answered. "The one that will begin when Robin refuses to hand Mar'i to Phantasma."

The Titans looked at each other.

"What are you talking about?" Terra watched Slade out of narrowed eyes.

"Phantasma gave me enough information to know how to kill Mar'i."

"Kill?" Cyborg repeated. Behind him, Terra's glare deepened. "I couldn't even stick an IV in because of the baby's shield. How could you kill her?"

"Perhaps kill was the wrong word," Slade retracted politely. "After all, how can one kill that which never existed?"

Raven frowned, pieces of the puzzle falling into place with perfect clarity.

Slade continued. "I was trying to analyze Phantasma's motives. Why would she send the Titans to search and me to capture? You couldn't fight Mar'i; she would destroy you. And if you got in my way, I would remove you. Then I realized that was what Phantasma wanted. She doesn't want to take Robin's daughter into the future. She doesn't want his daughter to exist at all."

"But how can she—"

"You're supposedly intelligent." Slade sounded almost disappointed. "Think about it."

_Anything happens here and the future could be adversely affected._

"If Robin or Starfire dies…" Raven began.

"Mar'i will simply cease to exist." Cyborg's eye widened.

"And the baby would not be able to protect his mother," Terra concluded in a horrified gasp.

"Precisely," Slade nodded. "And now, the four of you are down here guarding me while Robin and Starfire are alone with Mar'i. And Phantasma can enter buildings without tripping a single alarm. I suggest you move quickly because in ten minutes, there will only be one person alive upstairs. Or none."


	9. Chapter Eight

_Death, you bring death_  
_Bring destruction to all that you touch_

* * *

_"…That's right, Dan. I'm standing now on the border erected by the Army. This is the closest anyone can be to Gotham City without the need for protective covering. And, as you can see, it is not close to the city at all. The scenes I've seen here are devastating. The death toll is believed to be in the millions. The wounded are innumerable…" _

-T-T-

"Titans! Fall back!" Nightstar commanded.

"Are you kidding me, Star?!" Red Hood screamed back. The scarlet-haired archer brought down another robot.

"Careful, Hood!" Aquagirl admonished her, raising a stream of water to whiplash another opponent into the ground.

"We won't hold much longer!" Nightstar gritted her teeth. She hated abandoning a battle as much as Red Hood did…but she had to care for her team. "We'll draw back to the Tower!"

"That's too close to the city!" Barry complained. Kid Flash, his twin sister, paused mid-dash to second him.

"Star, anyone getting through then could hurt the civilians!"

Nightstar explained. "We can retreat to the Tower. It's a fairly simple matter to turn its defenses outside. Using the Tower's lasers and shield will offer us much needed respite."

Kronos did not answer, but he was wincing in pain. It was for him that Nightstar was ordering the retreat. He could not hold a barrier so large much longer. Not with his lack of control.

"Ready!" she yelled. She tossed smoke pellets to the ground, enveloping her team in the cloud. Despite their arguments, they quickly heeded her orders. Nightstar ran close to Kronos. Although he was trying to hide his hands, she had seen the raw patches of skin. Maintaining that shield had probably robbed a few years of his lifetime.

They reached the Titan Tower's grounds quickly. Positioning themselves in a line, they faced the sure to follow robots and the metahumans controlling them. Nightstar had drawn out her communicator and was linking to the Tower's computer. She quickly redirected the lasers. The shield flared to life with a soft hum. Then, Nightstar allowed her façade to crumble momentarily.

She was terrified. This wasn't just her team. She had been raised with Red Hood and Aquagirl. She had played pranks with the Flash twins. She had helped Kronos begin reining his amazing powers.

Hell, she knew them by a first-name basis, which was more than could have been said of the original Titans team. They weren't just code names to her. It was Lian: her sister, her twin, her partner in crime. Tula, the tag-along who later proved to be quite the spitfire. Barry who had refused to follow his father's footsteps and only joined to help Iris who desperately sought any way to make her father acknowledge her. Julian, the boy who'd told her when they were twelve that he was going to marry her.

These were among the few people who knew her name…and could actually _pronounce_ it.

And now a group that had no qualms with killing and sought to become the "protectors" of the city at all cost was threatening them.

Nightstar believed she had the right to panic briefly. But she could not indulge; she was the Titan leader. She had to be strong and fearless and sure. She would get them through this.

However, as she turned to voice her orders, a sharp stab of pain suffused her body.

_Again?_ She winced. She had been suffering odd flashes of pain over the last two days, pain usually followed by an oddity on her body. First, her skin had developed an odd blue coloring like the shapes light cast on the bottom of a filled pool. Then, her hair had grown white. The day before she had awoken to ears that had grown long and pointed resembling horns. When she stretched her fingers, she had been stunned to find them webbed.

The two silver rings on her hand still masked her strange appearance. But she did not want to consider what new monstrosity had appeared.

She focused on the area. "Barry, Iris, create a dust cover. Tula, put up your water screen. Lian, you and I will serve as their back up. Julian, can you put your shield up again?"

"Yes." He nodded. His hands clenched inside his robes.

"Okay. We'll stop them with our shields first and let the lasers do their job. Then, Lian and I will take the forefront of the attack while the others focus on keeping them here. You can attack them too, but you are to focus on defense. Your purpose is to not let them get past the Tower. Understood?"

A series of nods greeted her.

Nightstar exhaled. She turned the rings on her hands nervously.

"It'll be all right, Mar'i. I'm here." Kronos winked at her. "I won't let anything happen to my future wife."

Nightstar rolled her eyes. "For the life of me, I will never understand your need to propose marriage in the midst of battle."

"Don't worry," he answered louder than necessary. "Today, I'll prove I'm deserving."

Stifling the urge to strangle Kronos, Nightstar ignored him. She did not want to deal with this. He had an incredible ability to confuse her and keep her up at night thinking over his words and actions. She needed to remain focused.

Red Hood, always in tune with Nightstar, noticed her distress. "Oy, will you shove it already?" she snapped. "I'm settling this today. Mar'i's my woman so you can stop harassing her already."

Her declaration was surprising enough to make everyone turn his or her head toward her.

"And since when am I your woman? And you're interested in girls?" Nightstar raised an eyebrow.

Red Hood shrugged nonchalantly. "1) I figure this is a good way to shut him up for once. And 2) everyone wants to be my woman."

Everyone stared at her. Aquagirl coughed delicately.

"My fantasy is actually _true_? One question. Can I be present?" Barry glanced from Nightstar to Red Hood, a grin spreading across his face.

"Perv!" Kid Flash smacked him so hard his face skid across the floor.

While the others had their attention torn between scanning the horizon and stifling their laughs as Kid Flash screamed at her brother, Kronos merely shrugged, smiling at Nightstar.

"Positions!" Nightstar called out. Silence followed immediately as her teammates dropped their argument and turned to face the figures steadily growing closer.

"Ready…"

Aquagirl strode into the water until it reached her waist. The twins bent slightly towards the ground. Kronos raised his hands.

"Hold."

The twins exploded into scarlet flashes, kicking up a dust cover. Red Hood's arrows were invisible through the dirt screen until they were right upon their mark. Aquagirl's wall of water rose, stunning the one closest to her. Nightstar's well placed bird-a-rang dropped him into the water. Kronos stopped time immediately before him, freezing the one who'd dove toward him. Those immediately behind their companion slammed into the invisible wall. Pulling her whips toward her, Nightstar flashed them toward the one before her. The tip snapped against a specific point on his neck and he dropped unconscious. Red Hood's arrow quickly dispatched another. Kronos simply slammed the one caught in his shield into the ground.

As she observed, Nightstar allowed herself a brief moment of hope. The Titans were working closely together; their teamwork was smooth. The others, though, were growing desperate, causing mistakes. Their robots were destroyed so now they were fighting directly. And the Tower behind them shot down all whose DNA was not stored within its memory. They could win.

But when Nightstar raised her hand before her, aiming an explosive disk, she froze. A greenish, slimy-looking substance began to coat her skin. When it began burning her skin, however, she ignored the battle, grabbing it and struggling to tear it off. It extended to the ring and Nightstar cried out as it short-circuited, the electricity searing her finger.

"Star?" She heard Red Hood gasp. She turned to face her friend and realized she no longer had her disguise. Everyone had stopped fighting at the sight of the Titans' leader strange appearance.

All except one.

Too late, Nightstar felt a surge of power aiming toward her. Before it could strike, she felt something warm shove her abruptly aside. She hit the ground hard and clutched her head at the sudden red bloom of pain. Despite her closed eyes, the sudden flash of white light seared her sight. When she blinked her eyes open, the imprint of the flash was burned into her retina. She rubbed them briefly to clear them.

Her stomach seized.

Kronos clutched his chest. Or, he clutched what should have been his chest.

"K-Kro—" Nightstar stared at him. Her breath came in shallow gasps. Her eyes grew wide. She suddenly felt very, very cold.

"Are you all right?" he whispered.

It was amazing how one question could tear your world. His chest was gone, she could s_ee_ his heart struggle to beat and he was worried about _her_.

It was so absurdly surreal she answered him clearly. "Yes."

He smiled at her, a beautiful heartbreaking smile. "Here," he whispered with difficulty. He closed her hand around a softly glowing, hard object. "Mar'i—" his voice broke. A bubble of blood grew at the corner of his lips, burst.

His hazel eyes dulled.

Nightstar uncurled her fingers. Nestled in her palm was his heavy necklace, an amber stone hanging from its end.

When the green substance finished cocooning her, its every point of junction with her body scalding her, she was not sure if she was screaming from the anguish of the burns or the agony of Kronos' dead eyes.

-T-T-

_"…Gotham City bombed. Sensitive viewers beware; the images may be disturbing…"_

-T-T-

Phantasma stumbled against a building. She collapsed, wrapping her arms around herself. She had wanted to stop Nightstar, trap her. She had not foreseen her team's actions. She had not imagined Kronos would intervene. She had not understood how deep her hatred ran that she would aim to kill without conscious order. Phantasma should have expected it, but she had been so blinded, so angry, so betrayed… And when she saw Nightstar's eyes and the luxurious black hair, all she could see was Wildfire.

She punched the wall. She flinched, satisfied at the crack of bone.

She opened her palm painfully. No light remained in the amber fragment, the only remainder of the Kronos Jewel. She had used the fragment's power and failed. And she had altered the future, she knew; it had not returned her to her time. She had felt the instability when she was abruptly thrown out of the time stream before she even entered. She did not dare risk using it again; it had only enough energy for one more jump. If she wanted to return, she would need the Jewel itself. But Kronos had pressed it into Nightstar's hands.

Bowing her head, she closed her fingers tightly around the small piece. Blood dripped from the broken skin of her knuckles. Its rough edges cut into her palm. It made a sharp sound when it struck the engagement ring around her third finger.

A single tear carved its way down her cheek.

She would save the future. She would save her planet. She would save Superman.

Her grey eyes opened slowly. She slowly removed the silver ring. It rested on her palm before she slowly turned her hand over. As it fell, it disintegrated until nothing was left.

No matter how much it destroyed her.

-T-T-

_"…I've seen men walk by whose skin is literally peeling off them. I've seen women fall into the river in a desperate search for water and not get up again…"_

-T-T-

_Everything hurts_…

"It should. You withstood first to second degree burns to most of your body." The voice was surprisingly familiar. Mar'i slowly, painfully slit her eyes open.

"Hey, T-Rob." Her voice cracked. Her throat was parched. Nevertheless, she smiled faintly when she saw Tim.

Tim smiled back. "Welcome back, Mar'i. You gave us all a scare. Damian and I almost had to physically restrain Bruce when Lian called us."

Mar'i frowned. "Called you? For what? What happened?"

Tim's smile faded. "Mar'i…don't you remember?"

Mar'i shook her head as well as she was able. With every movement, even the smallest one, the pain in her body grew worse. Her limbs felt like they were slowly baking. Stabs irradiated from her chest, which felt very tight.

Tim carefully took one of her hands in his. "Mar'i, there was a fight in Jump City. A group of the new vigilantes attacked. Julian…I'm sorry, Mar'i. Julian died."

Mar'i blinked. "What?"

Tim stroked her hand comfortingly. "He pushed you out of the way, but he couldn't save himself."

Mar'i stared at him, trying to comprehend what he said.

"You're lying," she concluded in a faint whisper.

"Mar'i…"

"Go away." She turned her head to the wall. She heard him sigh, then his receding footsteps.

Mar'i lay in the semi-darkness of the Batcave. The pain grew stronger with each passing second. Something in her chest was constricting her.

_"You're really pretty. When I grow up, I'm going to marry you."_

_"I won't let anything happen to my future wife."_

_"Are you all right?"_

"Are you all right?"

Mar'i started in surprise. A man stood close by. His black hair had been left a little long. His skin was golden. He wore a suit; the white shirt's top buttons were undone. His eyes were darker than any she had seen.

He seemed familiar.

"I can't breathe," she confessed. She gasped. "I can't breathe."

She felt for the bandages wrapped around her chest—bandages that were suddenly constricting her flow of oxygen. Ignoring the pain, she seized the sterile cotton and tugged at it desperately.

"Here." He stepped toward her. "Don't hurt yourself." His hand was large when he laid it against her shoulder and helped her sit. An orante heavy ring circled his middle finger.

Suddenly, she remembered who he was. Damian, her grandfather's biological son. It was amazing how much he had changed in two years.

Gently, Damian grabbed the end of the bandages and slowly unwound it. Mar'i bit her lower lip at the pressure growing in her chest. He stopped short of undressing her. She was staring at something growing from her chest. IV tubes branched from it.

"One of your team called us. Red Hood, I believe. They got you out of a strange cocoon, but you were unconscious and you were heavily burned. That jewel was glowing in your hands. My father brought you here. He called Cyborg and they surgically implanted that. A catheter holding the jewel. It's what has been healing your burns. And it's keeping the solar light sealed away."

That last line she filed away for the future. For the moment, she focused only on the fact that Kronos' jewel, Julian's most prized possession, was bound to her chest.

She did not realize she was crying until he brushed her tears away. The sob constricting her chest climbed to her throat. It began suffocating her. Her tears were bitter acid, burning her face.

"Shh." He allowed her to rest against him, her whimpers hidden against the starch cotton of his shirt. "It'll be all right, Mar'i. You're not alone. I'm here."

-T-T-

"_…schoolchildren's shadows burned into the wall. The children…oh god, the children…I'm sorry, I can't go on…_"

-T-T-

Mar'i wanted to faint. But her irascible pride kept her erect and walking forward even when all she wanted was to turn and flee.

When she stepped outside, the light blinded her briefly. As she grew accustomed, she could see the Gulag's Field had been redesigned. Against the far wall, something resembling a stage had been constructed. A tall silver pillar rose from the middle. A path led toward the stage between the crowds already assembled. It seemed all of the Justice League had turned out to watch the first executions. The prisoners lined their cell windows; Mar'i could spot the distinctive yellow of their garb.

She had to make a conscious effort to keep from trembling.

"Easy, honey," Terra whispered. "I'm here for you."

"Not exactly comforting." Mar'i managed to gain control of her voice long enough to speak.

Terra smiled bitterly. "I know. But, while we're here, we'll give them a show they'll never forget, huh?"

Mar'i did not answer. She fixed her eyes on Terra's still short hair. She, Lian and Tim had shaved their heads to make Mar'i feel better about losing her hair. Mar'i had called them crazy, but she had laughed so much…

As they were led up the aisle, Mar'i following Terra, those assembled were silent. Mar'i did not know if she preferred their silence or wanted them to jeer at her if only to give her an excuse to scream.

Slowly, they mounted the steps. The guards pushed Terra forward, tying her to the pillar. The handcuffs, if they could be called that, covered her arms to the elbows. There was one small orifice between the two arms. The slender crystal resting before the pillar slipped inside this orifice. It served a double purpose: it locked the prisoner to the execution block and released the energy generated by the pillar in a single, concentrated flash.

A humane form of death. No pain. No time to register what happened.

Mar'i swallowed the bile gathering at her throat.

Once Terra was locked against the crystal, the guards stepped away.

"Tara Markov, also known as the vigilante Terra, you are to die on this day by order of the court due to your role in Wonder Woman's murder." Green Lantern's voice carried easily over the heads of the crowd. "Due to past deeds performed for the good of the people, you are granted the privilege to choose your mode of death."

Terra raised an eyebrow. She smirked. "Old age," she responded cheekily.

Mar'i had to tamp down a hysterical giggle.

Green Lantern's eyes narrowed. "In that case, I will choose for you. The least painful, the quickest."

The pillar began to hum at his words. It glowed softly.

"Any last words?" he asked.

Terra was silent, looking above the heads of the crowd. Finally, her eyes locked with Red Robin. She held her former leader's gaze for a long moment. "Titans together," she whispered.

The pillar's light suddenly flashed down its smooth surface and up the crystal holding Terra.

Mar'i shut her eyes. She didn't want to see Terra's body slump down. She didn't want to think about that burst of light. She didn't want to realize she was next.

-T-T-

Phantasma struggled through the battle. The amount of energy in the atmosphere disrupted her particles and she couldn't risk vanishing; she didn't know if she would be able to maintain control. But she needed to find Superboy. Batman's Outsiders had kryptonite. Superman may have been immune to it after absorbing so much yellow sunlight, but Superboy was far from achieving the same level of power as his father.

She was furious. She had warned the League! They should have never trusted Red Robin, especially as his daughter was the one scheduled for execution. And Terra's absolute insistence that she die first... Of course. The two couldn't be saved, but Mar'i was the Titans' little girl. She _knew_ Red Robin would have done anything to save her. But they had ignored her. Now she was running, trying to fix the problem the League created for themselves. She had to find Superboy. She had to keep him safe. He reminded her so much of…

She could not think of him. She had to push him out of mind or she would never complete her task.

She ignored Green Lantern battling Robin. She ducked away from Red Arrow's furious volley, his daughter immobile behind him. She avoided the Flash twins, both mere red blurs.

And she was running pell-mell, her hair streaming behind her, her cloak whipping from the velocity.

She wasn't fast enough.

She rounded the corner to see the dark-haired daughter of Red Robin grab something from the body before her. Phantasma recognized the man: Damian Wayne, Batman's son and Mar'i's lover. As Phantasma struggled to understand the situation, Mar'i raised an odd gun at Superboy, standing immediately before her, his hands held before his face.

Red spouted behind his head.

Until she felt her throat tear, Phantasma did not realize the scream was her own.

-T-T-

_"…The shockwave generated was such that people living as far away as 1500 miles reported having felt the tremors. Initial analysis shows this to have been a new type of atomic bomb. There has been no comment from the White House yet…"_

-T-T-

Julian.

Tiny beads of blood seeped through the thin line on her upper arm.

Jonathan.

A twin line cut across the first.

Damian.

The single-edged razor carved through the third line between the two before.

Dick.

A new line.

One more and she would have a scarlet star crowning her upper arm.

The question wasn't who would die next because of her. There was only one person left.

The question was when.

Mar'i grabbed the edges of the sink, her head bowing. She stared at the strands of inky hair lining the sink, as if trying to determine her fate from the shapes.

"What are you doing, Mar'i?" She turned her head, indicating she had heard. Tim stepped toward her.

"What the hell is this?" he asked, grabbing her arm roughly.

"Lines for those who died by my hand or saving me." Mar'i's tone was dead. "I always carve the old lines again when I add a new one so I won't forget."

"And your hair?" Tim asked.

"There are only two times when a Tamaranian cuts their hair," she said softly. "The first is as a sign of shame. If they or their family is dishonored, the hair is cut short and layered. The second is for grief. As you cut it, you release the pain and do not stop until you feel peace."

Tim ran a hand through Mar'i's too short hair. In some patches, she had cut it almost to the scalp. It had been three years since he saw her with such short hair.

"Did it help?" He cupped her cheek.

"No," she whispered.

He pressed her trembling, naked body to his. It was like that after every mission. They would return to strip each other of everything and collapse together. It had been so since the night a month after Damian died. She had fallen against him, needy for someone's touch. He, still reeling from Stephanie's sacrifice, had not resisted.

There had been no lust, no longing, not even affection. The sex had been purely to cause pain because it could mask the horror they felt. They could control it. They could manage it. When she cried out Damian's name and he gasped Stephanie's, it didn't matter that the other was not who they wanted. They could pretend. For their sakes. For the other's.

But he didn't touch her then and she didn't try to stimulate him. He held her tightly, careful about the bruises lining her spine. She still shook and her arm still bled, but he didn't try to make her relax. It was proof she was alive. And her rounded stomach held a symbol of hope for them.

Children were innocent. If she were pregnant, if she gave birth, that meant things would turn for the better.

Didn't it?

-T-T-

_"…My son! I can't find my son! Please, help me! My son, my boy…"_

-T-T-

Mar'i's shaking hands sought to remove her damaged helmet. She sat in a crater stretching across what once was downtown Gotham. The buildings had been leveled to their foundations. Those outside the immediate blast area had their windows blown away. Glass twinkled ominously on the pavement and streets.

"Tim," she gasped.

Struggling to her feet, she activated the homing device on her communicator. Quickly pinpointing his location, she broke into a heavy run.

The air was heavy. Dark clouds covered the sun and the city was plunged into an early twilight. The silence frightened her most. Gotham was many things, but it was never _quiet_. The lack of noise stifled her. She looked around desperately, but everyone who had been around her had disappeared. Mar'i stopped breathing, terrified of what she might inhale.

She stumbled into the area where Tim should have been, but she could see nothing. Nothing but rubble and rock. She began wrenching them up, tossing them away. Her palms were soon raw. One massive slab remained in the way, one that she could not lift. Mar'i inhaled deeply before reaching into her suit and turning the jewel on her chest 90 degrees to the right. Concentrating, she channeled the freed sunlight to her right fist. The sudden burn she felt almost made her lose the growing starbolt, but she gritted her teeth against the pain. The blue orb grew in size until it suffused her palm. Her hand felt like she had immersed it in burning acid. Light seared her from her chest to her fingertips. Just when she could stand it no longer, she slammed her fist against the concrete, trying her damnedest to ensure the blow did not radiate under the rock. It shattered, the pieces scattering to the sides. Then, she continued scrabbling in the dust and rock until she saw something black. Thrusting one last rock away, her chafed, burned, bleeding hands touched Batman's uniform.

With a gentleness she did not know she still possessed, she pulled his body out of the rubble. Trembling hands fastening around his mask, she unlocked the safety and removed it safely.

The mask fell from her limp grasp.

That wasn't Tim's face. It did not even look human.

The design of the mask had burned into his fair skin. His eyelids, forehead and cheeks were black, the skin raw. The rest was an unhealthy pallor. A low groan ripped through his parched lips.

If _she_ was bothered by the lingering radiation, it could kill him.

Throwing one of his arms over her shoulder, she pulled his body to her. He moaned, his head hanging limply. Reaching into her suit again, she grasped the jewel and completed the turn. Immediately she felt the sunlight—locked in her solar heart—radiate through its channels in her body. Mar'i slumped to the ground, her nails digging into the skin around the amber crystal. She could almost see her insides blistering in contact with the unfiltered sunlight. She bit down on her tongue to keep from screaming and did not stop even after she felt the sudden taste of copper invade her mouth.

Grasping at her only remnant of joy, her baby, Mar'i pushed past the bonds of gravity, intent on finding safety for Tim.

-T-T-

_"…This woman's burns are incredible. The design of her blouse was burned into her skin as the blast was absorbed by the darker patches and reflected by the lighter ones…"_

-T-T-

Phantasma surveyed the wreckage. Roughly half of Gotham City was leveled; the other half was beyond repair.

Of the city's approximate twelve million inhabitants, eight million had been killed by either the explosion or the nuclear fallout. The other four million had been exposed and would probably die within weeks or months. On a wall, Phantasma could see the shadows of some of the bomb's victims burned into it. A skirted silhouette held a young child in its arms; it had been caught in the movement of turning around, shielding the baby.

This had not happened in her future.

"Lady Phantasma!" A voice interrupted her. Phantasma turned to face one of the superheroes that had accompanied her. He was the leader of the ones she had assigned to find Batman and Robin.

"Yes?" Phantasma's voice was smooth, revealing nothing.

"We successfully tracked Batman and Robin to a cave on the outskirts of the former Jump City," he began. He was sweating profusely, but he showed no sign of exertion.

"And?" Phantasma raised an eyebrow.

"There's some bad news," he offered weakly.

Phantasma did not speak.

He bit his lower lip. "They escaped."

There was a brief pause.

"They…escaped." She repeated delicately.

"Yes, Lady Phantasma."

"How." Her tone did not voice a question. He answered her, however.

"I believe they had some type of machine that permitted time travel," he said quickly. "When we were closing in on them, they began to glow. Their surroundings seemed to warp and when I blinked, they were gone."

"Did I give you an order to engage them?" Phantasma questioned him.

He swallowed. "No."

"What were my orders?" she asked sweetly.

"T-to follow them and let you know of their location."

"Precisely. And why did you not follow those orders?"

"I apologize, Lady Phantasma."

"You apologize." Phantasma observed him for the briefest moment. Her backhand was so fast he had no time to react. He fell to the ground, clutching a broken nose.

"You incompetent idiot," she snarled. She resisted the urge to disintegrate him into the particles that formed him, much like the bombs had done to most of Gotham City's population.

_She_ had escaped. Phantasma clenched her fists. She could not count on anyone anymore. She would find what time they had escaped to, she would follow and she would stop them. Once she had the complete Kronos Jewel, she could use it to correct the future and return to her own time.

And she had only three months to do it. Mar'i Grayson was no longer even human to her. But not her baby. If the memory of Wildfire's eyes was enough to still her hand, what could seeing him do?

-T-T-

_"…It is two in the afternoon and it looks like two in the morning. Clouds have completely covered the sun…"_

-T-T-

"Impossible."

Patty whipped her head around, tear tracks still drying on her cheeks. A man dressed in blue and red floated toward her. She shrieked and, without conscious order, her body began to disintegrate again.

"No, don't run away!" His voice was calm. "Do not be afraid. I won't hurt you."

And Patty believed him. Solidifying as her fear ebbed, she huddled into herself. She did not know she was shaking until he laid a hand on her shoulder.

"What is your name?" he asked quietly.

"Patience," she whispered. "But my mom calls me Patty."

"Patty. That's a pretty name," he smiled. Patty found herself smiling tremulously at him. "Are you okay, Patty?"

She began to nod her head and stopped. "I can't find my mom!"

"I'll help you look for her." His eyes twinkled in the little light. "But first, let's find you some clothes and take you somewhere safe."

"I can't," she said.

"You can't what, Patty?"

"I can't go with you," she said almost inaudibly, even to her. He, however, seemed to have no problem hearing her.

"Why not?"

"Mom said I'm not supposed to go anywhere with strangers."

He smiled, but there was an odd quality to it. As if it was broken. "Your mom taught you well. I am Superman. Have you heard of me before, Patty?"

Eyes wide, she nodded.

"Then, we're not strangers anymore, are we Patty?" Superman cocked his head at her. She shook her head shyly. "Come, Patty. I'll protect you; I promise."

Patty raised her thin hands, wrapping them around his neck. He was warm, much more than her mother or father. But there was something about him that reminded her of her strong and soft-spoken father. Patty held tightly to him as he flew slowly away from the ground. Lulled by the whispering breeze, comforted by his warmth and exhausted from her tears, Patty closed her eyes, tucking her thumb into her mouth.

Soon, she slept peacefully on Superman's shoulder.

-T-T-

_"…inhuman, what I've seen. I cannot imagine who could have done this…"_

-T-T-

Phantasma stepped through the closed door as if it wasn't there. Removing a cable from her voluminous sleeves, she pulled its particles—along with those of her hand—apart. They took on a fuzzy appearance before she sank them through the metal console. She connected Brainiac's cable into one of the sockets and sent a small vibration through the reformed particles. The computer screen flared to life, the cable quickly hacking into the mainframe.

Keeping her hand safely wrapped around it, she ensured that any small piece of Brainiac's consciousness remained within the cable and did not filter into the computer. Not even Superman's favor towards her would save her if she allowed Brainiac to seize control of the Justice League's computer. But there was something she needed to know.

"Computer," she spoke clearly. "Locate file containing date June 21, 2040."

_Searching…_

_1,743 files found_

The amount of files was unsurprising. Power Girl had died in that explosion. Phantasma scanned the oldest files. The third provided what she wanted, dated five days after the event.

"Nuclear explosion destroys Corn Belt."

The first paragraphs included the time and date of the explosion, the amount of people killed and details on the only survivor—she.

The final paragraphs provided what she sought.

_…signs of sunlight based attacks…_

_…suicide attack…_

_…vigilante Nightstar prime suspect…_

_…vigilante Nightstar…_

_…Nightstar…_

That was why Superman had kept the truth from her. That was why he kept her far away from Batman's Outsiders.

The dead mother of the boy she loved had killed her family.

But that couldn't be right. Wildfire was loyal to the League. He had proposed to her. He had said he loved her. And he loved his mother who, he'd said, had died a hero's death. But this said it had been a suicide mission.

It couldn't be true. And she'd prove it.

Quickly shutting off the computer, she wrenched the cable out. Pulling her particles apart enough to become invisible, she sank through the floor. Maintaining the dissociated form, she hurried through the labyrinthine corridors until she found his room.

She slid through the door, reforming on the other side. The room was empty. She settled to wait, but she was too anxious to remain still. She sifted through his things until she found his computer. Plugging the cable into it, she turned it on. She waited impatiently as it hacked through. Phantasma felt an odd feeling suffuse her. She could feel a hollow at the bottom of her stomach. This tiny computer had greater security than the League's mainframe did. Why?

Once Brainiac's cable finished, she scanned the contents. Within seconds, she found a ghost drive. There was additional security around it, but the cable quickly brought them down.

Messages comprised the bulk of its content. E-mails between Wildfire and his father, designs sent to him by Robin, orders by Batman, letters from his grandmother in a language she did not understand.

"You shouldn't come into someone's room when they're not in."

Phantasma jumped. Wildfire lounged against the doorway. Unlike his usual red and purple armor, he wore a form-fitting black suit. Only his face could be seen, his blue eyes trained on Phantasma's white figure.

"What the hell is this?"

"The designs and instructions for the creation of this," he said, waving a hand at his new uniform.

"Why?" Phantasma tried to understand.

He glanced at her sadly. "To kill Superman."

Phantasma's insides froze.

"H-how…?" She meant to ask how he could have ever considered doing what he said.

He understood how he would do it. "Simple, really. My grandmother's people absorb sunlight. This suit magnifies that ability enough to absorb light even from organic matter. Once Superman had lost enough sunlight to make him vulnerable to Kryptonite again, it was only a matter of shooting him with a Kryptonite bullet."

"B-But, you—"

"My mother gave her life to save me and Gotham City," he said and his eyes were hard. "If it had not been for the so-called Justice League, she would still be alive. My father would not be the shell he is now. My father's father would not be confined to an exoskeleton just so he could lift a fork. My mother's father would not have been tried and confined on the mere suspicion he sympathized with the man who raised him. The League's goals are corrupt and she died to prove that. This is the culmination of a work that has taken years. The only way to kill a snake is to cut off its head. And that's the job I was charged with."

Phantasma felt weak. "What about me?"

A pained look crossed his face. "I never meant to hurt you. But my family had has been dishonored." He ran a hand through his short, layered hair. "I could not have my mother shamed."

"You're insane," she whispered.

"To a human, yes," he acknowledged. "But to a Tamaranian, this is the only logical step."

Phantasma straightened. "I won't let you. I'll stop you any way I can."

Wildfire shook his head slowly. "Do you think I'm one of the past villains who would confess their plan before they executed it? I'm telling you this because you can no longer stop me. I killed Superman five minutes ago."

-T-T-

_"…and we've just received word that the perpetrator of this horrendous act is none other than one half of Gotham's Dynamic Duo. The vigilante known as Robin has been classified as armed and dangerous. She is charged with the first-degree murder of Superboy and the deaths of eight million people in the Gotham City nuclear bombing. The public is warned to maintain distance and…"_


	10. Chapter Nine

_ And burn, you will burn_  
_You will burn in hell_  
_Yeah you'll burn in hell_  
_For your sins_

* * *

Today is his birthday.

Phantasma pushed her pale locks away from her face. She drew on pristine white gloves and fastened her white robe around her shoulders.

"_You have the collarbones of a princess_," he'd said. Two fingers had burned a path across her skin.

He's going to be born now.

Mar'i curled her hand around her stomach. She could feel her lower abdomen slowly clench, before it released just as slowly.

"_I'm doing this for you_," she'd whispered. But the baby moved again, keeping her away from the cliff's edge.

Phantasma's gloved hand followed the path his fingers had marked.

Mar'i's hand drew comforting circles along her stomach.

The other hand balled into a fist

-T-T-

Terra gaped through the bars at Slade.

_How can one kill that which never existed?_

Terra closed her eyes. "Mar'i won't die. I won't let her," she stated. She opened her eyes and she caught the slight rising of Slade's chin and the sudden glint in his visible eye.

Terra turned on her heel and ran out.

"Terra! Hey, wait! Terra!" Beast Boy stumbled after her.

"We have to warn Robin and Starfire." Raven pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You go tell Rob. I'll stay here with this thing."

A bang suddenly resonated through the ceiling and walls making them jump. Raven's and Cyborg's communicator rang. Cyborg flipped his open to Beast Boy's green face.

"_Dudes!_" he yelled. Terra could be heard in the background grunting and screaming. "_Phantasma's here and we can't hold her!_"

Raven and Cyborg shot alarmed looks at one another.

"_Cyborg, help Beast Boy and Terra. Starfire's on her way. Raven, get over here. Mar'i's in labor_," Robin barked through the communicator.

"What about tall, dark and creepy?" Cyborg raised an eyebrow.

"_The Tower's security will take care of him if he tries to move. You two move_."

"Okay." Cyborg cut off the communication link. He glared at Slade. "You best stay in there. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Understood." Slade acknowledged his words with a mocking nod.

Cyborg had a sudden urge to pound him, but instead followed Raven upstairs.

-T-T-

Robin unlocked Mar'i's handcuffs. Immediately, she bent over as far as her stomach would permit, stifling a groan. Starfire pushed her dark sweaty hair away from her face. Mar'i half-whimpered.

"Where is Raven?" Starfire turned to Robin.

"She'll be coming soon." Robin scanned the room. "We need to secure the Med Lab. If not, we'll have to move Mar'i."

Mar'i answered him with a half-screamed groan. Behind his mask, Robin's eyes went wide as they beheld a sudden red liquid dissolving the white of the bed sheets.

Mar'i glanced at Robin and Starfire's horrified faces. "This really hurts," she muttered somewhat superfluously.

"But soon you will hold your baby!" Starfire tried to comfort her.

Mar'i forced a smile. "Yeah. I'll hold him."

As she finished speaking, the door slid open, revealing Raven's cloaked form. Robin nodded briefly at Starfire and she flew out the door.

"Wait!" Raven called Starfire, but she had already disappeared.

"What is it?" Robin narrowed his eyes.

"Slade was telling us his theory that Phantasma doesn't want Mar'i to live." Raven sighed. "And since she can't affect Mar'i directly, she'll try to hurt you or Star."

"I could have told you that," Mar'i scoffed, her hands tightening again around her stomach.

"Phantasma's here to kill you?" Robin shot at her.

"Yes."

"_Why didn't you tell us_?"

Mar'i glared at him. "You despise me because you believe Phantasma's words that I'm a cold-blooded killer. Would you have believed me?"

Robin shook his head. "But you didn't warn us and let Star go off and face her!"

Mar'i rolled her eyes. "Because she'll be fine. In fact, she's the only one who can fight her easily. Easy, of course, being relative." Mar'i looked like she was going to continue, but just then she bent over so quickly, she almost hit her head against her legs.

Raven was immediately at her side. A soft blue glow suffused her hand and she slowly ran it over Mar'i's stomach.

Robin backed away slightly from the bed. He was itching now to call Starfire and tell her to abandon the fight, but if there was any truth to Mar'i's words and Star was the only one who could fight Phantasma… He watched Mar'i's tense features relax slightly as Raven soothed her discomfort.

Mar'i confused him. And angered him to no end. He had his doubts regarding her innocence, and her character just clashed with his. But there had been numerous occasions to attack him or Starfire. She had not acted on any. And he could remember her statement in the cave. _I'm not suicidal yet. _If anything, she had been honest then.

Despite how much he abhorred the very idea, he decided to trust her.

"Baby hasn't turned," Raven muttered mostly to herself.

"What?" Robin barely caught Raven's statement.

"The baby hasn't shifted properly so he can be born," Raven said in a louder voice. "He needs to be turned."

"And after, you can also turn my heart." At the looks she received, Mar'i clarified, "It's bound to hurt less."

-T-T-

Terra could feel the yellow orb within her begin to leak. Her arms trembled in effort as she sought to keep her hold over her power. She shuddered at what could happen if she didn't.

Phantasma wasn't helping.

Terra barely jumped back to avoid a sudden lunge. Four long needles of compact earth formed and shot toward the white figure. They passed through her as if Phantasma were merely a hologram, embedding themselves completely in the wall behind her.

Phantasma did not move. Her fair head cocked slightly to the side. She stepped forward.

"Get away from Terra!" Beast Boy ran forward, transforming as he did. A green tiger dove at Phantasma. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

Terra gasped as Beast Boy returned to his humanoid form. Phantasma's hand was _inside_ his throat. Yet the skin was not broken. Her wrist ended at his throat and he struggled to breathe.

"Beast Boy!" she cried out.

"BB!" The doors slid shut behind Cyborg. He aimed his sonic cannon at Phantasma.

Phantasma dropped Beast Boy. Before the disbelieving gaze of the three teens, Phantasma's chest pulled apart. The edges blurred until they could not be distinguished. The blue beam went through the hole she formed, leaving her untouched.

She reformed quickly. Her face registered irritation.

"I just need Mar'i," she said. "I have no need to fight you."

"No, just Robin or Starfire, right?" Terra snapped. Beast Boy's hand massaged his neck as she spoke.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." Phantasma observed the three Titans.

"No? Then you were mighty quick to jump to attacking." Cyborg continued aiming his sonic cannon at her.

"Only because _she_ attacked first." Phantasma motioned toward Terra. "I had to defend myself."

"Dude, you were choking me!" Beast Boy sputtered indignantly.

Phantasma did not defend or explain her actions.

"Where is Robin?" she asked.

"Watching over Mar'i," Beast Boy answered without thinking. "Oops."

"Beast Boy!" Terra half-whispered, half-screamed.

"So she is here." Phantasma rocked back on her heels. Terra barely caught the small smile that ghosted over her face.

The earth around Terra took on the shape of a clenched fist. She thrust it forward, the packed earth aiming at Phantasma. The pale girl glared.

"You're annoying," she stated. Terra barely put a shield of earth around her before Phantasma was on her. Before she could sigh in relief, she watched the earth crumble into ever-smaller particles. Phantasma smirked.

"Friend Terra!" The unexpected cry was punctuated with a flash of green light. Phantasma screamed.

Starfire floated before the doors, eyes and palms burning furiously green. Phantasma lay on her hands and knees, one hand closed around the exposed red skin on her shoulder. Her look was no longer irritated; it was livid.

Ignored, Terra stepped backward. Under the cover of bangs and screams, she ran for the doors.

-T-T-

Sitting calmly against the far wall, Slade turned his gaze to the ceiling. His hands rested on his knees, his elbows jutting out.

Small vibrations raced through the metal.

"Time to play." His smile, hidden by his ever-present mask, was evident in his voice. He undid a sliding lock on his wrist and a small control panel flipped open and locked into place. Pressing a small button, the device on his wrist emitted a brief pulse that knocked out the cameras and lasers in the area. Pulling a series of tiny orbs from his suit, he set them against the bars of his cell. The explosions were so tiny they were muffled, but they successfully knocked down the earth. Stepping through, he serenely strode away from his cell. He mounted the steps he had seen the Titans climb.

The vibrations grew stronger with every step he took. Sounds began to reach his sensitive ears. Turning away from their source, he searched the unlit halls for the Medical Lab. He had spent so much time studying the layout of the Tower, he could maneuver its halls blind. Thus, it took him no time at all to reach the Med Lab's doors and stroll through.

Mar'i noticed him first. She appeared unsurprised. Raven's eyes took on a grayish-white glow and Robin drew out his bo-staff.

"Slade! You—" Robin froze. Mar'i withdrew her hand from his back. He fell, his bo-staff clattering onto the table and hitting the bottles and needles there.

"Mar'i!" Raven rebuked. Her eyes glowed. An orb grew around each hand, one pointing at Slade, the other at her leader's daughter. "What are you doing?"

"Surviving," Mar'i replied primly. The doors of the Med Lab slid open as she finished speaking. Terra's gasping form leaned against the doorway.

"Terra!" Raven called out. "Stop him!"

Slade saw Terra raise her hand. His hair stood on end in the presence of the yellow power and, when it faded, he saw Raven struggling to break through an earthen block that had encased her arms and feet. Her violet eyes burned in fury and the glow suddenly died.

"What did you—?" Raven snarled.

"Blocked your flow of energy. Temporary." Mar'i held her hands toward Slade.

Slade shook his head. "You are completely unlike your parents." His smile was audible in his tone.

"Terra! What are you doing?!" Robin yelled from his inert position. Her face was guilt-stricken and she did not respond, staring at her shoes.

Mar'i shrugged. Fighting back a grimace, she wrapped her arms around Slade's neck and he lifted her without difficulty. He could map her bones through her skin, could see the web of veins under her stark pallor. She would have weighed nothing if it were not for her bloated stomach.

"What about them?" Terra motioned to Robin and Raven worriedly. Raven glowered at her.

"They'll be able to move soon," Mar'i answered. "Get me away from them. Phantasma won't hurt them until she has the Kronos Jewel."

Slade turned, walking with Mar'i out the door.

"Where are you taking her?" Terra moved to block his way.

"Somewhere safe," he evaded.

Mar'i smiled bitterly. "I'm far too valuable for him to hurt. As long as I answer his questions, I'll be fine."

Slade hid his amusement. At least Robin's daughter was intelligent.

Terra shook her head. "You're not leaving anywhere unless I go too. I don't trust you and someone needs to help Mar'i with the baby. You don't look like a midwife."

Mar'i gave a weak laugh, which was cut short by a groan of pain.

A small surge of annoyance shot through Slade. He did not answer, but he did not stop her when she followed him. Once they entered his hideout, it would be easy enough to be rid of her.

-T-T-

Straightening from her crouch, Phantasma inhaled.

"I never fought you," she said softly. "Now I know why."

Starfire started. "I died," she said, eyes still narrowed.

Cyborg and Beast Boy immediately turned to her. "Star…"

"In Mar'i's future, yes." Phantasma shrugged. "Not in mine."

Her words made Starfire freeze. "How?" Her green eyes searched Phantasma's pale orbs.

"I was born in the year 2035."

"But you said you were from the year 2039," Cyborg argued just as Beast Boy exclaimed, "You're _four years old_?!"

Phantasma raised an eyebrow at Beast Boy, but continued. "I traveled back in time. I sought, seek, to prevent a murder." Phantasma no longer appeared proud and aloof. She looked tired. "It's not my wish to fight you. But I must find Mar'i."

"Then why did you got to Slade?" Cyborg's tone was scathing in his suspicion. "Why not tell us the truth from the beginning?"

"Slade?" Phantasma frowned in confusion. "Who is he?"

Beast Boy squawked. "Are you kidding me? You went to him! We saw the video!"

"Video? Who's—oh. I remember now. Slade was one of your villains."

"Was?" Cyborg raised his remaining eyebrow.

"There are no villains in our time," Phantasma answered. "This Slade, he recorded a video of me speaking to him?"

"Yes."

"And you trust him?"

"No."

"Then why do you believe that video to be real?"

"Mar'i has confirmed it." Starfire felt a little seed of doubt. "And if you had not approached him, how would he know what you looked like?"

Phantasma's look was sympathetic. "I know she's your daughter and you don't want to imagine she would be capable of breaking the law, but she is a convicted murderer. Couldn't she have approached him in order to make herself appear a victim?"

The Titans glanced at each other.

"But then, why risk capture if she knew the danger?" Starfire shook her head. "Mar'i wants her baby to live. She would not draw attention to herself unnecessarily. And," Starfire continued, voice growing surer, "she did not deny her crimes. She accepted them. How could doing so help her 'appear a victim'?"

The false sympathy faded immediately. Left behind was a pale mask of a face and cold grey eyes. Phantasma's hand fell on the red couch and it disintegrated at her touch.

"Ha!" Phantasma cried, aiming her hand at Starfire. Too fast to defend herself, Starfire screamed as the she felt the unyielding buzz of millions of tiny needles stab through her.

-T-T-

"When you have her, you'd better ground her. Until she's thirty-five. At least," Raven deadpanned.

"I think I may push for abortion being legal until nineteen years after birth." Robin had not enjoyed being paralyzed by Fang. The fact that his daughter had been the one to restrict his movement irritated him further. Thankfully, feeling was returning below his neck.

He and Raven had been lying and standing respectively on the Med Lab's floor, unable to move. Raven struggled against the earth encasing her, but without her powers it was futile. Robin could not even twitch.

"About Terra…" Raven turned as much as she was able to look at her leader.

"She's betrayed us again." Robin frowned.

"Before we left Slade, she said she would protect Mar'i. Perhaps she guessed, rightly, that she would only be able to follow them if Slade and Mar'i believed she was on their side."

"She still attacked us. I can't risk our safety for a member who changes sides in the middle of battle. She needs to be stopped."

Finally able to move, Robin struggled to his feet. He swayed slightly as his muscles adjusted, protesting the sudden stress. Stretching quickly, he jumped to Raven's side. One solid kick and the earthen restraints dropped. Raven massaged her wrists and ankles.

"Thanks," she said.

"Come on. You and I will hunt down Mar'i, Terra and Slade. We need to stop them before they leave the Tower—"

Both teens started as their communicators rang. Robin grabbed his. "Robin here."

"_Robin, we're in trouble!_" Cyborg's human eye was wide and the corners of his mouth arched downward. "_Starfire's hurt._"

"What?" Robin felt the bottom of his stomach drop. A sudden stab of cold raced down his spine.

"_Phantasma did something to her. She's not breathing right and her heart rate's getting slower._"

"Try to get her here, Cyborg." Robin sought to maintain his control. He couldn't panic, not now. He hadn't been raised to panic. "Raven and I will help hold off Phantasma."

"_Where's Terra?_"

"With Mar'i," Robin said furiously and cut the connection. "Let's go."

Raven's hand on his shoulder made him stop. "I'll go to Starfire. You need to find Mar'i."

Robin had a desire, as violent as it was unexpected, to strangle the sorceress. "You expect me to turn my back on my wounded teammate?"

"If it weren't Starfire, would you be rushing?"

Robin started. "What are you implying?"

"I know she's your girlfriend, but you need to maintain some hold over reason. Mar'i needs to be found. We lose her and we lose any leverage over Phantasma. What could Phantasma win by hurting Starfire? Mar'i's death? If that were it, she would have attacked us a month ago."

Robin exhaled harshly. As much as he loathed admitting it, she was right. Considering what she said, he breathed in deeply. "The Jewel. The Kronos Jewel. This is a trick to get Mar'i into the open," he realized. Weighing his options, he nodded to himself. "Go to them, Raven."

"And you?"

"I'll find Mar'i. I won't fall to the same trick again," he snarled, hands fisting at his side.

-T-T-

"Take me to the cave," Mar'i ordered.

Slade did not bother slowing. "We are going to my hideout."

"Take me to the cave," she repeated and her eyes narrowed. Behind them, Terra hurried her pace.

"If she wants to go to the cave, you'll take her there." She glared with undisguised animosity at the masked figure.

"No," he answered both girls. Before either could react, he dropped a small disk before Terra. It split open, a glowing shield forming around her.

"Hey!" she screamed. She struck the walls to no avail.

Mar'i's arms around Slade's neck tightened. He barely felt the prod at his back.

"Was that supposed to do something?" His smile was hidden by his mask.

Mar'i stared at him. Slade caught her fist a hair's breadth from his face. Her feet hit the ground. She winced, the other hand tightening around her stomach. She fell to her knees, her hand still caught in Slade's. Her other hand clapped against her chest.

"Don't hurt yourself. You wouldn't want something to happen to your child."

Mar'i did not answer. Instead, the hand Slade held grew warmer. By the time he registered the nascent blue glow, Mar'i wrenched her hand free and tightened it around his wrist, destroying the control panel hidden there and bruising the muscle and skin beneath.

With an enraged cry, Slade struck her. She hit the ground with a satisfying thud. He bent over her, intent on hurting her. Mar'i threw a punch and caught his mask. It cracked under the pressure.

The shield glowing around Terra flickered and died.

Eyes glowing with a yellow indignant fire, the earth she always carried around her coalesced into small, compact balls. With violent speed, she slammed each, one after another, against Slade. He dodged some, these cracking the glass window behind him. He straightened against the window. Hatred rolled off him in waves.

An even greater hatred radiated from Terra and Mar'i. Terra formed the tiny balls into a long spear and threw it. She managed to knick his mask, splitting it further. Twin blue beams shot from Mar'i's eyes, impaling Slade and smashing him through the cracked glass.

Terra ran to the window. There was no sign of Slade, a body, his mask, nothing. Just the white-crested waves.

_He's still alive_. She had no way of being sure, but Terra would have bet her soul on Slade still living. His defeat had been almost too easy.

"What did you want?" she muttered under her breath.

Turning to Mar'i, she bent by the older girl's side. Mar'i was gasping for breath now. A thin sheen of sweat covered her body. Her short dark hair was plastered to her head.

"We need to get you help. We'll go back to the Med Lab, get some supplies—"

"The cave."

"Mar'i, you—"

"The _cave_."

Pulling one trembling arm around her shoulders, Terra helped Mar'i stand, shouldering most of her weight. She carefully half-walked, half-carried Mar'i down the hall. Terra glanced backward and was horrified at the trail of crimson droplets Mar'i was leaving behind.

"We need to get you to a hospital," Terra argued again. Mar'i did not bother answering.

"You need medical attention! You can give birth safely there and—"

"The cave."

"But Mar'i—"

"The cave. It is not up for discussion."

"_Why_?" Terra finally exploded. "Do you _want_ to _die_?"

Mar'i turned her face away from Terra. "Next to Tim," she barely whispered.

Terra was unsure how to respond. She had never had to deal with someone so depressed they welcomed death.

No, that was not quite true. At the time, she had only considered the Titans' safety, but hadn't she been so sad and guilty she had been willing to sacrifice herself? Had it been heroism or a desperate act for release?

"Aah!"

Terra was jerked from her thoughts as Mar'i curled into herself, falling heavily.

"Mar'i!" For a moment, Terra panicked, believing she was going to give birth right then. What she saw made her eyes widen in fright.

Mar'i was see-through.

Terra raised a hand to Mar'i's shoulder, but froze. She imagined that if she tried to touch Mar'i, her hand would simply go through her.

"What's happening?" she asked desperately.

Mar'i shook her head. "One of my—" her voice broke off. "My mother or my father…they're dying."

Terra felt her heart jump to her throat.

"Wha—?"

"Go help them."

"But you're—"

Mar'i stopped her in place with a glare.

"You would betray your friends for me?"

Terra flinched as if physically struck. "I'm not betraying—"

"No?" Mar'i laughed darkly. She was solidifying, but was still semi-transparent. "You lied to Beast Boy when he first found you because you didn't _want _to be Terra again. You lied to him and the Titans when you decided to join the team again. You lied to them _again_ when they were searching for me. You hid me for a month, behind their backs. You attacked Raven and you would have done the same to Robin if I hadn't incapacitated him already. In my future, you went against the Titans when they first decided to follow Superman. Did you know Beast Boy can assume a completely human form, but the price for doing so is death? He abandoned his humanoid form for you. He died for you. He made Raven swear that she would protect you and when she failed because you _had_ to sacrifice yourself for me, she disappeared." Mar'i's eyes were hard. "I'm going to die. No matter what you do. Is it worth it losing your friends _again_?"

Terra was silent.

With a final glare, Mar'i stood, swaying, and staggered down the hall, clutching the walls for support.

-T-T-

Removing his communicator, he activated the homing device. He quickly pinpointed Terra's locations, moving rapidly through the halls. Setting off at a run, he sought to intercept her.

Using all the skills he had honed over the years as a caped and masked hero, he snuck toward the blonde girl and grabbed an arm. Terra shrieked in surprise before she was roughly shoved against the wall. Robin kept a foot firmly planted against her spine as his hands grabbed her wrists, tightening enough to begin cutting off the circulation.

"Where're Mar'i and Slade?" he growled.

"Mar'i and I defeated him. He fell into the ocean." Terra gasped.

"Then where's Mar'i?"

"She's safe. I had to get her to safety."

"And where were you going?"

"To help Starfire!"

"Liar!" Robin pressed his foot harder. Terra hissed. "Why would you?"

"I didn't betray you!" Terra almost screamed.

Robin laughed darkly. "Could have fooled me."

Terra's entire body went limp. To his shock, Robin heard heartbroken sobs ripping from her. He let her go and she collapsed at his feet, curling into a ball.

"I can't keep lying. I can't keep doing this." Terra shook her head desperately. Her blue eyes were bloodshot. "Even if you don't believe me, I did not mean to betray you. I _never_ meant to betray you. But Mar'i saved me. She's my friend and I had to find some way to keep her and the baby safe. I had to get her away from Phantasma."

"By attacking Raven?" Robin was incredulous. His innate suspicious nature refused to trust Terra. Again.

"Do you think Slade would have let me follow if I hadn't?" Terra cried. "He would have fought you and Mar'i could have gotten hurt."

"Why do you care about her so much?" Robin struggled to understand her.

Terra stared at the floor. "I don't know," she said, her face hidden behind the curtain of her hair. "But I've spent so much time caring for her, keeping her safe, even fetching her strange foods in the middle of the night for her cravings, haha…" Terra dared look up at the boy before her. "How could I not?"

Robin was certain he was an idiot. He should never have welcomed Terra a second time. Now, he was putting his hopes on her for a third time.

"Go to the others. Fight Phantasma, work with the team and you are _not_ to act on your own. One false move and you will be taken down. Understand?"

Terra nodded. "Thank you." Not waiting for an answer, she ran in the direction of the Main Room.

Robin looked after her disappearing form for some time before opening his communicator. "Raven, come in."

"_I've just got to Star. She's weak, but she'll live._"

"Terra's headed your way."

There was silence on the other side of the line. "_What are my orders?_"

"Watch her. Any suspicious move, any at all, bring her down. Contact me."

"_And Beast Boy?_"

Robin massaged his temple. "He's a big boy. He'll take it."

"_You hope_," Raven muttered sardonically and closed the link.

-T-T-

Beast Boy was not having a good day. He had taken on the Brotherhood of Evil, Raven's psychotic father and Slade—on more than one occasion!—and won and here he was losing against _one_ girl.

Phantasma had a tight defense. She had already disintegrated most of everything in the room and the particles floated around her, solidifying any time Beast Boy came near. Starfire's starbolts seemed to have knocked out her ability to make herself intangible and Cyborg's sonic cannon had her ducking away. Raven was able to prevent her from disintegrating the floor or walls and escaping. Beast Boy was the only one who could do nothing.

Glaring, he transformed into hawk, attempting to dive-bomb her and barely missed the dark object she threw at him, its composition so varied Beast Boy couldn't tell what it had been originally.

"Keep back, BB!" Cyborg grunted in effort as he shot her again. Phantasma dove to the wall, but a black shield forced her to retreat.

But Beast Boy couldn't _not_ fight. Cyborg was attacking alone and Raven was stabilizing Starfire and trying to keep Phantasma from escaping into the Tower at the same time. Robin was protecting Mar'i and he did not know where Terra was, but he was certain she was also doing her part.

So why was he the only one who couldn't _do_ anything?

Beast Boy straightened, ready to attack her again when a sudden flurry of earth projectiles made him stop. Terra was framed against the doors, hands outstretched.

"Terra!" Raven called. Terra's blue eyes turned to Raven. Beast Boy didn't know what to make of her of her facial expression. "You and Beast Boy get Starfire out of here."

Beast Boy opened his mouth to argue and he was sure Terra would to, but Terra merely nodded. "Okay." She quickly hurried to Starfire's side. Raven watched her, violet eyes narrowed.

"Oy!" Cyborg yelled over his shoulder. "A little help please?"

"You shouldn't look away." Phantasma's tone was almost scarily polite. It almost served to distract from the sharp metal object forming under her hand.

"Cy!" Beast Boy cried. Running, he shifted into a dog, small enough to slip through her momentarily distracted defense and latch onto her arm. She screamed and struck him. Beast Boy groaned at the sudden disorienting feeling. It felt like her hand had slipped through his skin and hit his brain. Stars burst into view.

He grinned goofily. And Raven said he didn't _have_ a brain.

Still so affected from her blow, he did not notice Phantasma holding her hand above him in the same form as when she had disintegrated most of the objects in the room.

"BEAST BOY!"

Beast Boy looked up to see long blonde hair blown momentarily back. Phantasma had ducked back, away from Terra's dust storm. But Terra had not been able to defend herself.

Uncomprehending, Beast Boy watched her fall. As she lay on her stomach, he focused and managed to regain a hold on reality. He quickly grabbed her, turning her over.

"Ter—" Beast Boy's hands fell away. Long gashes lined Terra's face, chest and arms. But they didn't seem like cuts. It was more like she had lost pieces of skin. The hair that framed her face was frayed short. The skin on her palms was gone.

"Terra!" Beast Boy heard Raven's and Cyborg's screams, but he couldn't move.

Stepping away, Phantasma seized their distraction to stab her hands into the floor. In a flurry of blurred metal, the ground underneath her disappeared and she sank through it.

"Damn it," Raven cursed. At any other point, Beast Boy would have teased her about her vocabulary. She and Cyborg ran to Terra and Beast Boy, both sinking to their knees.

Raven ran a hand over her body. "We need to get her to the Med Lab. We need to patch these wounds."

Cyborg nodded and tried to grab Terra.

"No!" Beast Boy slapped his hands away.

Cyborg's human eye widened. "Beast Boy, wha—?"

"Don't touch her!"

Raven's look was serious. "We need to get her out of here."

"Then _I'll _carry her!"

Raven held up her hands in a sign of surrender. "Okay. Then pick her up _gently_. Cyborg?"

"I got Star."

As Raven's black power shaped itself into a massive bird around them and pulled them quickly to the Med Lab, Beast Boy's hands never let go of Terra. He set her on a bed then stood away. He had no idea what he could do and he couldn't imagine hurting Terra more.

Dimly, he heard Raven contact Robin. When she finished, she set a hand on Beast Boy's shoulder. "It's not your fault," she said gently. "She cares for you."

Beast Boy shook his head; her words only made him feel worse. He patted the back of Terra's hand as Raven tried to heal as much as she could.

"Terra… Don't leave me again."

-T-T-

Robin ran down the shadowed halls looking for any sign. He stopped at a shattered window. The metal wall around it was dented and when he examined the marks, he saw some clumps of dirt. Sticking his head carefully out the window, he examined the area below. Nothing but water. He cursed at Slade's disappearance, punching the wall.

He made to continue, when something on the floor caught his eye. Bending, he dipped a finger in it. When he raised it to the light, he saw a scarlet mark that smelled faintly of iron.

"Mar'i."

He followed the dark stain as it led down the hall. It stopped before one of the storage rooms. He was about to go in when he noticed a strange drop on the floor. Unlike the others, its tail pointed toward the room, as if she had turned around. As he observed carefully, he noticed that the trail was ever so slightly denser as if she had covered this ground twice.

His communicator disturbed his musings. "What is it?" he shot without bothering to verify who it was.

"_Phantasma disappeared._" Raven's eyes were narrowed. "_She's still in the Tower, but we're not sure where._"

"I'll hurry. Terra?"

Raven became solemn. "_She's badly hurt. She took a blow for Beast Boy and, well, I've never seen any of us this hurt._"

"Will she be okay?"

"_That's what we're about to find out_."

Robin bowed his head. "Star?"

"_Unconscious still. But she should be waking up soon_."

"All right. Focus on Terra and Starfire. Send Beast Boy and Cyborg."

He snapped his communicator shut. Stepping away from the storage room, he followed it back, stopping where the amount of blood thinned out. He glanced at the sealed door before him. Glancing once at the trail, he walked inside the room.

Mar'i rested against the wall, her eyes closed. Her breathing was audible, faint, shallow gasps that sounded like they were being ripped from the depths of her lungs. A scarlet pool extended slowly beneath her. Pale hands were wrapped around a naked, sleeping infant.

His thoughts of murder, or at least a good villain-type beating, evaporated. She looked…broken.

"Mar'i?"

Her eyelids fluttered before slowly, painfully opening.

"Hi." A faint thread answered him. The sound, so ephemeral, couldn't possibly be compared to a voice. "It's…cold…"

Robin stepped toward her. He removed his cape, gently draping it around her shoulders.

"Come on," he urged her. "We need to get you and the baby somewhere safe."

A ghost of a smile flitted across her face. "There is...no…need."

"But Mar'i—"

"Take him." Mar'i's trembling hands held her child toward him. "Keep him…safe. You can…give…my body to…Phantasma."

Robin did not try to grab the baby. "He needs his mother."

Mar'i smiled. "No…he doesn't. His mother…dies today. As I…already…should have."

Robin shook his head. "Gotham, Mar'i. Who dropped the bomb on Gotham?"

Mar'i concentrated on her baby. She stroked one smooth cheek. When she raised her gaze, her mismatched eyes were firm. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "It doesn't…matter anymore."

"You'll be labeled a criminal," Robin argued. "You'll be lucky if you get a proper burial."

Mar'i laughed, a ghost of true amusement. "You're so innocent…daddy. Whether I…live or die…I win."

Robin started in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"When I was…four, my mama was…called back to Tamaran. She…took me with her. There was…a war. I had seen…fights…but never…war. And I saw…my mama…really fight. She…holds back…you know." Mar'i's gaze was steady. "I saw her…kill…the leader. When she…turned to me…I was afraid. I…ran…from her." Mar'i traced the vortex on the baby's hair. "Galfore…talked me out…from under…the bed."

_"Your mama is a good person, Mar'i." Galfore held out a wide hand to her. "And it takes a strong and self-sacrificing person to what your mama does. She holds back on Earth out of respect for their customs. But she is willing to condemn herself if it means the safety of those she loves."_

"'Sometimes…you have to…bloody your hands…to save others…from doing…the same'." Mar'i quoted softly.

Robin started in surprise. "Mar'i…"

"Here you are."

Robin wheeled. Phantasma stood before the closed door. He had never even heard the door open.

"Hello…Phantasma." Mar'i smiled at her, but the smile did not reach her eyes. "Still…sucking up to…Supes?"

Phantasma's grey eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "You gave birth," she observed. Her tone did not leave any doubt that the idea repulsed her.

Mar'i did not respond, but her hold over the baby tightened.

"Phantasma, she's dying," Robin interrupted. He doubted he could avoid the coming fight, but he had to try. "She's just had the baby. At least make her last moments as painless as possible. You can take her body with you, but don't attack her now."

Silvered eyes, glinting softly in the darkness, focused on him.

"I can't do that," she said. "The Kronos Jewel is linked to life. If the bearer dies before it's passed on, it loses its power." Phantasma cocked her head to the side. "But she won't renounce it so easily, will she?"

Mar'i's hand closed around the amber stone.

Phantasma stepped forward.

Robin dove at her, pulling out his bo-staff. It went right through her body. A roundhouse kick resulted in the same effect. Robin grabbed an explosive disk and lobbed it at her. A freezing disk followed.

Phantasma raised an eyebrow. "Finished?"

"Look out!" Mar'i rasped from behind.

Phantasma lunged forward. Her hand disappeared into Robin's chest. He felt something tighten around his heart.

Robin gasped. He sank to the floor with a moan, her hand still squeezing his heart. He tried to shove her away, but his hands simply went right through her.

Behind him, Mar'i whimpered. To his disbelief, he saw her figure flicker.

"You cannot hurt me," said Phantasma. She caught his fist in her other hand. She did not release him until there was an audible crack of bone.

Robin screamed at the sudden shot of pain as Phantasma lifted him by his heart and threw him against the wall. The edges of his vision darkened and blurred. When he tried to stand, he collapsed, the room racing in circles around him.

Mar'i held her baby against her. She struggled to raise one hand. A weak blue orb sputtered. Phantasma stepped on her hand.

"I do this because I have to," she said. "Your baby would have killed Superman. He would have destroyed everything we worked to right. Everything you gave _your_ life for."

Mar'i blinked.

"Gotham still thrived in my future. You died protecting it…and you killed Power Girl doing so. Your son, avenging you, killed Superman and set off a battle between metahumans like no other. The humans we promised to protect tried to _kill_ us to _protect_ themselves." Phantasma knelt before Mar'i. Her fingers ghosted over the skin just above the Kronos Jewel. "I need this to set everything right. Unlike you, I don't—what was it?—bloody my hands to save others. But if your death is an unavoidable consequence, well, not much can be done."

Mar'i glared viciously at her.

Phantasma's hand faded through Mar'i's chest. Mar'i tensed, a low groan issuing from her lips. The lines of her veins stood out against the stark palidity of her neck.

The amber jewel, surrounded by a soft blue glow, rested in Phantasma's palm. A long needle protruded from its back. On Mar'i's chest, the circular brace for the stone remained, now revealing a tiny hole from which a thick blue-lit liquid flowed heavily.

Phantasma took the amber jewel and held it toward her, almost cradling it. The baby suddenly wailed and Phantasma started. She stared at the infant's blue eyes under his down of soft black hair. One pale hand began to reach toward the newborn, the fingers trembling. She mouthed a word Robin did not catch.

Mar'i's eyes flashed. Suddenly lunging forward, she seized Phantasma's hands and thrust them toward Phantasma's chest. The jewel's needle impaled her immediately.

"You want…the jewel?" Mar'i hissed. "Take it with you…to hell."

Phantasma groaned weakly, her eyes wide. Mar'i grabbed the baby, backing into the wall. The blue irradiated through Phantasma's veins, mapping the lines through her body. The blue grew until it flashed white. Phantasma's pale eyes never left the crying baby before her.

Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy ran in just as Phantasma flared into a white flame and was consumed. A soft word, like a breeze, echoed in the room: _Wildfire_. The amber jewel dropped to the floor before Mar'i. It continued to glow softly.

Mar'i slumped against the wall. Her shaking hands wrapped around her baby as he lay on her chest, wailing feebly. She carefully set him beside her. Her breaths were fast and shallow. She raised her gaze to the Titans and slumped to the side. A pale blue overcame her body briefly before the light slowly died out.

Raven did not bother trying to heal her. Instead, she knelt, removing her cloak. She carefully covered Mar'i's body with it.

Robin was safe. Starfire was safe. Terra was safe.

Slade had disappeared.

Phantasma was dead. Mar'i was dead.

Their future was a nightmare.

And an infant with blue eyes and black hair waved his tiny fists on the bloody floor, whimpering for a mother who would no longer answer his cries.


	11. Chapter Ten

_Now freedom's concealing itself_  
_What we've become_  
_Is contrary to what we want_  
_Take a bow_

**

* * *

**

Mar'i's body, clean and dressed, awaited burial. Terra, her hands and chest still wrapped in bandages, had gone earlier to the restaurant, to tell Marie and the others and find some clothes for Mar'i. She and Raven had clothed the body in a simple, white sundress. Starfire had arranged the body according to Tamaranian custom, the right hand over her heart, the left clasping her right wrist.

Cyborg fashioned a silver coffin for her, intricate designs decorating the sides. Inside, he inlaid it with a soft white cloth. He and Robin set the body inside and carried it to the T-Car. Dressed in black, they drove in silence to where they had buried Tim.

With a simple hand motion, Terra made the earth part, revealing a smooth-walled hole and Tim's lead-lined coffin. Robin, Cyborg and Beast Boy carefully set Mar'i's casket beside it. Starfire, holding Mar'i's baby, gently closed the baby's hand around a calla lily and opened his fingers above the grave. The flower dropped slowly, the frothy white of its petals devastatingly pure.

Words were spoken, words even the speakers failed to remember later.

Then Terra allowed the earth to fall over Mar'i and Tim. Using the white rocks she had gathered earlier, she erected a simple mound surrounding an engraved oval stone so white it was almost painful to behold.

They held a moment of silence for the two buried and for the one consumed in the flames. Then, they turned away.

A slow breeze paused over the raised earth. It continued on its path, uncomprehending and uncaring of the changes on land. It blew to sea, ignoring the markings on the white rock.

TIM AND MAR'I  
TITANS  
TOGETHER

-T-T-

Terra inhaled deeply. It was early in the morning and none of her friends yet stirred. She glanced back once, committing the Tower to memory. Then, she shouldered her bag and mounted the rock waiting for her.

When Raven stepped into the Main Room to make her usual morning tea, she was surprised to find Beast Boy conscious so early. One green hand rested on the glass. The other held a letter.

_Dear Beast Boy,_

_You can show the others this letter. I don't mind. But I could only direct this to you. I want to thank you for never giving up on me. You're the first friend I've had in longer than I can remember. You will always be very special to me. You and the Titans took me in, even after I betrayed you the first time. I will always love you for this._

_But, I've come to understand I can't stay in Titans Tower. Every time I looked at all of you, I could only remember Slade. I tricked you. And Mar'i made me realize I had the capacity to do it again. I fought you again for the sake of Mar'i's baby. I sided with Slade and I betrayed him too. And I can't do that again. I can't face you guys again in battle, but I likely would. If anything, Mar'i's future proves that. I sided against the Titans, against my only friends. _

_I'm leaving now. I'm going to see the world, study the earth and maybe try to understand me. I'll try to keep in touch. I hope we can meet again in the future, Beast Boy. And I hope that then, when I look at you, I'll finally be able to see you._

_Your friend always,_

_Terra_

"Beast Boy?" Raven stepped toward the changeling glancing curiously at the letter.

"Terra left," he said quietly, still staring out the window.

Raven immediately worried. "Beast Boy, are you—?"

Beast Boy turned around and smiled. "It's good that she left. There were too many bad memories here for her. She can take the time she needs. And when she's ready, we'll be here."

Raven started slightly at the immature, annoying idiot's sudden wisdom. She smiled a little sadly. Beast Boy was growing up.

"Course we'd have to make this place rock solid before she gets here. Get it? Rock solid? Because she'll be so good with her powers?"

Only Raven's absolute self-control kept her from face-faulting into the floor. Or strangling Beast Boy.

-T-T-

Cyborg entered the Med Lab. He set about straightening everything, cleaning the spills and gathering the shattered glass. He dropped uonto all fours, one hand changing form to buff out a bloodstain. The sunlight streaming through the windows glinted against something under Mar'i's bed.

A photograph, the same as the one he had found on Tim's uniform. Except this one was perfect.

The colors were brilliant. Against the vivid green of the park, Tim and Mar'i contrasted cheerfully. Tim wore a pale blue polo, his dark hair cut around his face. He aimed an ice cream cone at Mar'i. Her hands were moving to shield her face. Mar'i's long black hair had been swept away from her face, but little strands had escaped. She wore a tiered sundress in white, pink, orange and purple. No strange bruises marred her arms and body, but he could see the Kronos Jewel peeking from the neckline of her dress.

Their faces were alive, animated with laughter.

A shadow of the photographer was caught on the gravel.

He turned it over and the same loopy handwriting had inscribed the names, ages and date. Only this time, there were additions.

_Brilliant photography by Lian_.

_Wow, Lian, such humility!_

_I know. I'm amazing._

_Will you two stop damaging the picture?_

_What the hell are you doing, Tim?_

_Mar'i, you're supposed to be training. And Lian, you're supposed to be doing—_numerous phrases scratched out_—something!_

_Honey, I'll do anything you want with you._

_Oh, Lian, ew! Come on, this is my picture!_

_Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Baby._

Lian. The girl whose name Mar'i had used.

Holding the picture gently, Cyborg walked toward his room. On the wall before his desk, he carefully taped it. Although he doubted he ever would, he did not want to forget them or what they had died for.

A little piece of happiness. For themselves. For everyone.

-T-T-

When Robin opened the door to the rooftop, he was unsurprised to find Starfire already there.

She sat on the raised edge, her chin resting on her knees. Robin collapsed beside her, observing the wide expanse of blue water.

They were silent for a while.

Starfire spoke first. "Robin," she began carefully. She did not look at him. "Do you hate her?"

Robin knew whom she was talking about.

"I don't think I do," he finally admitted after considering the question. "In fact, I don't hate either of them. In any other circumstances, Mar'i and Phantasma would have been excellent heroes. But when the line between good and bad fell apart… I think that was the biggest problem. Without any villains to fight, is the superhero still a superhero? We're here to save the city and even the world. But if there isn't an obvious threat, what do we do? In a way, we're luckier. At least we know who the bad guys are."

Starfire turned to look at him. "Who do you think was right?"

"Thinking back on it, they were both right and they were both wrong. But at the time…I protected Mar'i because of the baby. But I agreed more with Phantasma. I can't condone what she did, but her beliefs are closer to mine…I guess that's why I ended up siding with Superman in the future." Robin gave a humorless laugh.

Starfire smiled slightly. "Phantasma had a more human belief. Law. Intellect. Mar'i was a Tamaranian. We're ruled by emotion, not thought. And rules are seen as guidelines, much more flexible. Everything she said, what she did…it is the type of thing my people would say and do. The type of thing _I_ would say and do."

Robin hugged her to him. "I guess this means we should do everything to prevent that future. I don't think I could face my wife and daughter in battle."

Starfire started in slight pleasure at the word 'wife'. "Do not worry," she said, leaning against him. "I shall remain with you."

-T-T-

Underneath the city, a man stepped through the sliding doors. He did not greet his aging servant.

"Master Wilson, are you all right? Do you need anything?"

Slade shook his head. "Not now."

"Did you find what you sought?"

Slade paused. Then, he continued as if Wintergreen had not spoken.

Quickly removing his suit, he allowed the discarded pieces to fall with uncharacteristic disarray. The pieces of his mask he watched whistle softly through the air. Turning to the computer, he switched it on. The screen illuminated his unmasked face. He calmly set the vial with Mar'i's blood on the table.

"Master Wilson?" Wintergreen shuffled into the room, bending to pick up the discarded pieces of armor.

"It seems superheroes cannot survive without villains," Slade said without preamble. An image of Robin flickered onto the screen. His fists were raised high. His face showed his anger, but there was still something human in the lines of his body. "We give them purpose. Without us…" Beside her teenaged father, a picture of Mar'i loaded. He had taken it just before she shot him. Her hand was still raised, glowing blue. Her face was impassive. Her eyes held no sign of concern.

Slade observed the two quietly. Almost identical, yet completely opposite. If Mar'i had not undergone what she did, would she still be willing to kill? If Robin were subjected to the same trials, would he react as she had?

Glancing at the vial, different questions arose. Just how stable was a human-alien hybrid? Where did her DNA differ? Could her abilities be replicated? And, remembering how weak she had been when she attacked yet how strong the blast had been, what would her limits be?

Slade sat in the chair, his fingertips barely touching. "Interesting."

-T-T-

Marie slowly got out of the car. She walked unhurriedly toward a hill, underneath which lay the cave she had found Terra. John and Rachel and Steve and Nick were already assembled. On a small, handsome box lay an incredibly ragged green dog. One of its ears was missing and the stuffing peeked from its stomach.

Marie clasped her hands before her black dress and bowed her head.

"Heavenly Father…" John began. As he spoke, Steve grabbed a candle and Nick lit it. Rachel poured some sweet-smelling oil over the dog. Nick handed the lit candle to Marie and she touched the flame to the damp dog. It flared into a beautiful flame, the smoke rising from it bittersweet.

When only the ashes remained, Marie took the blackened box and scattered the ashes. A breeze swirled around them and Marie could almost see the figure of a girl, but then the ashes blew away and Marie could not be certain of what she saw.

The four held a moment of silence for the girl who had tricked them…and who had somehow worked her way into their hearts.

As they walked back to the car, they saw a red-crested robin standing on the hood. It glanced at them out of one beady eye before it opened its wings and soared away.

Marie smiled. _It's okay, Mar'i. We're okay_.

-T-T-

Robin bit the finger of the glove on his uninjured hand. Slowly, he pulled it off. It was odd to see his skin, the rounded nails, the pale knuckles. He was so used to the smooth and tough green. While the gloves were designed to heighten his sense of touch, he wanted to feel Mar'i's baby as a simple human.

One finger slowly traced a line down the baby's face. He stirred slightly, but did not open his eyes. His hair radiated from a small vortex near the back of his head. One small fist rested next to his face. He frowned in his sleep, eyes scrunching momentarily before relaxing. His breathing was deep and steady.

This was Mar'i's baby, not his grandson. And he knew he couldn't keep the baby.

Phantasma had said Mar'i's baby would grow into the man who would destroy the future. But her future had never involved her traveling so deep into the past. Her future had a living Starfire. Her future had a thriving Gotham. Maybe this baby wasn't the one who would obliterate everything. Maybe _this_ child would, in fact, save them all.

Removing the Kronos Jewel from his belt, he set it inside the baby's palm. The small fingers reflexively opened, rays of a dawning sun, before closing around the amber crystal. The amber color burned darker and a soft red suffused the surface. The baby began to glow softly, red tendrils of light cocooning around him.

Robin kept his hand on the baby's head as the tiny form began to fade. The baby shifted, his other hand closing unknowingly around Robin's finger. He slowly opened his eyes, observing his surroundings before trying to focus on the boy who would be his grandfather. The last thing Robin saw was the bright blue eyes and the barest hint of a smile before the baby faded entirely. On the makeshift crib, only the shallow indentations his body had made as he slept remained. Robin briefly traced them before he slid on his glove and left.

Even as he walked toward his room, he couldn't get rid of the warm tingle that remained in his fingers. And when he caught sight of himself reflected in one of the windows, he was surprised to see he was smiling.


	12. Epilogue

Beautiful. It was astoundingly beautiful.

Removed from the space-time continuum, this little pocket was beautiful. Light filtered through the hazy atmosphere in varying colors. The earth was a rich russet where fantastic plants and flowers grew. When you turned in circles, everything blurred around you with ease. Only the colors stood out: wild purples, rich blues, fiery reds, tranquil greens. The pond in the center was clear, revealing all sorts of brightly colored fishes. The light glinted off their scales, tossing rainbows in the water itself.

Kronos, sitting amongst the flittering butterflies and blooming whites, watched and waited.

He had not died, not really. How could one born of the merging of the Quintessence's power die? He was Time. He was Space. He was Order. He was Chaos. He was Life. He was Death.

He was Balance.

And Balance had fallen in love with a woman. And he had been willing to risk an entire planet for her even if she hated him for it.

It had been his mistake. But when he saw that white beam lined with his own power, his movement had been instinctive. Even as he felt his chest disintegrate, he had not been able to deny the sudden feeling of victory.

But there was a new Balance now. After so many months spent protecting the same body, the Kronos Jewel had selected its new Bearer and reached his hands. This had immediately stabilized the rifts.

Kronos smiled. Even he could not have foretold this end. The boy Robin would never know just how important his decision to give his grandchild the jewel was. The jewel was simply a seal, designed to maintain control over Balance's immense power. If he had withheld it, the child would have destroyed the world.

Kronos stood, walking toward a sleeping figure. Mar'i lay under the shade of a tree. Long black tresses pooled around her. A curled hand rested close to her face.

Time was repaired. They could return to their future now and try one more time. He, as a normal human with no memory of this. She, as a beloved daughter of heroes.

He could only hope they would meet.

And Balance would be born again into the human world, in the guise of an infant girl with pale hair and paler eyes.

Balance had to be maintained.

He gently stroked her smooth brow. Eyes lost in a sea of green slowly opened. He enjoyed their unfocused gaze, the childlike trust they possessed. He took her hand in his, his lips pressing briefly against her knuckles.

"Let's go home, my love," he whispered. "Let's go home."

-ALIAS-


End file.
